Barcelona legend Carles Puyol says former teammate Xavi is wrong over his comments about ex-players.

The former Barça midfielder said that he would close the door on academy players that decide to leave the club of their own accord in their formative years.

Puyol said, “It's an opinion which has to be respected," he said. “I think that it should be judged on a case by case basis. If you need a player and they have left… In the case of [Gerard] Pique, whose performances have been spectacular, we wouldn't have signed him.

“But for me, in that that case, I would do the operation again, even paying more money [for Pique]. I think five million euros for him is a gift."

Puyol is the representative of the young defender Eric Garcia who left Barça this summer for Manchester City.