Ex Barcelona Captain Carles Puyol Renders Apology to LGBTQ+ Community for ‘Clumsy’ Joke

• Former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol has apologised to the LGBTQ+ community for his 'bad' joke following Iker Casillas' now-deleted post admitting he was gay
• Puyol jokingly fuelled Casillas' admission of being gay by suggesting he had an amorous relationship with the former Real Madrid goalkeeper
• The 44-year-old retired Spain defender, who also deleted his earlier tweet, has two children with his girlfriend Vanesa Lorenzo

Carles Puyol has rendered an unreserved apology to the LGBTQ+ community following his 'clumsy' joke.

The legendary Barcelona defender took to Twitter in a follow-up to an earlier post made by former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, suggesting he was gay amid reports of his post-divorce dating life.

Puyol jokingly said: "It's time to tell our story, Iker" with a heart and kiss emoji. However, both ex-Spain internationals have deleted their Tweets shortly after they were shared.

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His post insinuated he had a secret relationship with Casillas, who later claimed his Twitter account has been hacked, as reported by the Sun.

Realising the damage he has caused with his 'joke' about such a sensitive topic, the 44-year-old ex-Spain international took to the micro-blogging app to apologise for his 'bad' joke, as noted by the Daily Mail.

"I have made a mistake. Sorry for a clumsy joke with no bad intentions and totally out of place. I understand that it may have hurt sensitivities. All my respect and support for the LGTBIQA+ community."

Casillas deletes 'I’m gay' tweet

Legendary Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has deleted a tweet in which he claimed he was coming out as gay.

The former Spain captain earlier posted a short message on the social media platform on Sunday afternoon, saying:

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"I hope you respect me: I’m gay.”

Casillas and Puyol cause stir online with 'gay' tweets

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that legendary Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas caused a stir online on Sunday, October 9, after he claimed he was gay.

Casillas mentioned in a tweet that has since been deleted that he hoped people would respect him after he revealed his sexual orientation.

Who are the other top footballers to have come out as gay? Homosexuality remains a deeply-divisive subject for many people.