Carlos Puyol: Spaniard Set to Miss Euro 2012 and Copa Del Rey Final

Spain's heart in defence, Carles Puyol will undergo an unexpected knee surgery, which will rule out the Barcelona captain from playing for Spain in next month's European championship.

On May 5th, Puyol suffered discomfort in his right knee after winning 4-0 against Espanyol in one of Barcelona's final matches of the season. Puyol has opted for an arthroscopic surgery on Saturday, May 12th, which will also rule him out of his club's Copa Del Rey final.

Barcelona released an official statement (h/t Guardian) in which the club stated that Puyol will require at least six weeks to recover from the surgery, which means the earliest he will be able to start training is June 23rd.

Spain's first match at the 2012 Euro Cup is on June 10th against Italy, with the cup final set for July 1st.

Puyol played a vital part in Spain's 2010 World Cup win in South Africa and in the nation's Euro 2008 win in Austria, playing in all of the matches. His absence will be a huge setback for Vincent Del Bosque as his squad's defence often relied on the defensive partnership of Puyol and Gerard Pique.

Del Bosque is expected to reveal his initial team selection on May 18th; therefore the former Real Madrid manager may have to scramble through the La Liga ranks to find an acceptable replacement for a player whom many considered the best defender in the world.