"?Former Barcelona and Spain defender Carles Puyol has praised the decision of centre-back Marc Bartra to leave the Catalan club, calling the 25-year-old's decision 'brave' as he departs the club he joined as an 11-year-old.
Bartra had become frustrated with a lack of regular playing time behind the likes of Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano, and has signed a deal to move to last season's Bundesliga runners-up Borussia Dortmund, replacing Mats Hummels at the German club.
Puyol backs Bartra's decision to move https://t.co/nREzz0GjU0
Speaking to "?Marca, Puyol said: "He has been brave because he wasn't playing much. I know the club wanted him to continue, but there were other circumstances and we thought the best thing was to leave. I have a lot of confidence in him because he is a good centre-back."
He added that there were no issues with the deal as far as legitimacy went, insisting that Barcelona had been kept in the know at every stage of the process. He said: "The club was informed of everything. I'm not the one who has to say whether it's good or bad business."
Luis Enrique's side failed to defend their Champions League title last season, but did manage to grab a domestic league and cup double to go with their Club World Cup triumph and European Super Cup win - easing the pain of missing out on Europe's top honour.
Get to know...
...@BVB's new signing and @SeFutbol centre-back Marc #Bartra. https://t.co/WB1Vanqrwk pic.twitter.com/c196CXy12w
Puyol declared his satisfaction with the season, saying: "It was a very good campaign. Barcelona have won two, or four, titles, depending on how you look at it. They will be very happy at Real Madrid, while at Barcelona we are very proud of our team."
For more from Chris when he's not writing on 90min, follow him on Twitter at @ThatChris1209!
Don't miss out - subscribe to the 90min podcast - now on iTunes HERE and back on SoundCloud over here!"?