Carles Puyol today paid a visit to the state-of-the-art new Saint Petersburg Stadium, which will host the opening match and final of the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017, as well as stopping by the headquarters of Russian social media platform VKontakte, from where he enjoyed a lively chat with fans.

Against the backdrop of the start of FIFA's fifth inspection tour, the iconic former Barcelona and Spain defender was treated to a look around the main facilities at the stadium, which is located on Krestovsky Island. He was accompanied by FIFA's Chief Competitions and Events Officer, Colin Smith, the CEO of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Alexey Sorokin, Saint Petersburg vice-governor Igor Albin, and representatives from the local authorities.

"Having visited Russia for the launch of the Volunteer Programme last summer, this latest trip has shown me that the anticipation is building and that there's already a special atmosphere in the air. The Saint Petersburg Stadium is very impressive and it'll doubtless hold a special appeal for players and fans alike at both the Confederations Cup and the World Cup," said Puyol.

Puyol, a world champion in 2010, is due to visit the Volunteer Centre at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations on Tuesday.