Carles Puyol, third from right, was part of a FIFA delegation that visited Saint Petersburg’s Krestovsky Stadium today ©Getty Images

Former Barcelona and Spain defender Carles Puyol was part of a FIFA delegation that visited Saint Petersburg’s Krestovsky Stadium, the venue for the opening match and final of the Confederations Cup due to be held in Russia this summer.

On the opening day of FIFA's fifth stadium inspection tour, the 38-year-old, a member of Spain's 2010 World Cup winning team, was shown around the main facilities at the stadium located on Krestovsky Island.

He was accompanied by FIFA's chief competitions and events officer Colin Smith, the chief executive of Russia 2018 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," said Puyol.

"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 2018 World Cup.

"I have only positive impressions from the visit.

"I took a look at the stands from there, I imagined they were full to capacity, and I felt an instant urge to take a ball and start playing.

"It is very important the fans will have an excellent view from any seat."

The Krestovsky Stadium will host the opening match and final of this year's Confederations Cup ©Getty Images
The Krestovsky Stadium will host the opening match and final of this year's Confederations Cup ©Getty Images

The visit, the last before the opening of the Confederations Cup, an event widely viewed as a rehearsal for next year’s World Cup, began today and is due to finish on Friday (March 3).  

The delegation from world football’s governing body are set to view the four stadiums - the Otkritie Arena in Moscow, Saint Petersburg’s Krestovsky Stadium, the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi and the Kazan Arena - due to host matches at the tournament.

The Krestovsky Stadium has received criticism for a rising budget that has increased to a current projection of around ₽41 billion (£571 million/$714 million/€677 million).

A new constructor, Metrostroy, was appointed in August.

Further setbacks occurred in November when a FIFA Commission discovered that the retractable playing field was unstable, producing vibration levels seven times higher than the accepted level.

FIFA had initially expressed concerns before a solution was found.

A Russian Premier League clash between Zenit St. Petersburg and FC Ural Ekaterinburg is due to take place at the 68,000 seater Stadium on April 23.

It is hoped two more Zenit matches will then take place in May.

The Confederations Cup is due to take place between June 17 and July 2 and next year's World Cup is scheduled for June 14 to July 15.