Club captain Carles Puyol will miss the start of next season after tearing a ligament in his left knee during Wednesday night's friendly match against Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa.

"Tests have confirmed that the player has torn the external lateral ligament in his left knee," said a club statement.

The club's medical staff said that the player would undergo surgery immediately to repair the torn ligament.

It is expected that it will take 3 months until the injury is fully healed meaning that Puyol will now miss the pre-season as well as the start of the league season and very possibly the start of the club's UEFA Champions League campaign.

Barcelona beat South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria 2-1 thanks to late goals from Santiago Ezquerro and young midfielder Marc Crosas in the 77th and 81st minutes respectively. Sundowns had taken a shock 2nd minute lead thanks to a Moriri goal.

Puyol came on as a second half substitute in the game.