Puyol extends Barcelona contract until 2013

Barcelona’s longtime captain Carles Puyol on Friday signed a three-year extension to his current contract which will keep him at the Spanish and European champions until June 2013.

“I am very happy with the trust that my peers and the club has shown in me,” the 31-year-old Spanish international defender told Barcelona’s website after signing his new contract.

“The fans also played a key role in my decision to stay since they have constantly supported me, in the good times and the bad,” he added.

The release clause of Puyol’s new contract was set at 10 million euros (14.7 million dollars), the club said in a statement. It provided no other financial details.

Puyol rose through the ranks of Barcelona’s youth team and has been a mainstay of the Catalan giants since making his debut for the club’s first team in 1999.