Barcelona defender Carles Puyol has said his knee operation went well. Puyol wrote on his Twitter feed after undergoing surgery to his right knee Saturday, saying: “I'm in my room after the operation. Everything OK.” The 34-year-old Puyol is set to miss Barcelona's Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao on May 25 and Spain's title defense at the European Championship as he needs about six weeks to recover. Puyol has been hampered by knee problems in the past few seasons, having also undergone surgery on his left knee. The Barcelona center back has been a regular for the World Cup winners at major championships since his debut in 2000, making 99 appearances for Spain. Spain itself heads to Euro 2012 looking to make history but its bid for a third consecutive major tournament triumph could be hit by fatigue, with top players feeling the effects of several years competing at the highest level. Spain was the big underachiever of the European game before its triumph at Euro 2008 but having since gone on to win the 2010 World Cup it will be the team to beat in Poland and Ukraine. No team has retained the Henri Delaunay trophy or won three major tournaments on the bounce, even if West Germany came close, losing the 1976 European Championship to Czechoslovakia after previously winning the 1972 Euros and the 1974 World Cup.
