Riqui Puig, who was once hailed as the shining star of Barcelona's illustrious La Masia academy, is now playing in the MLS as he seeks to revive his career after a trying stint with the Catalans' first squad.
When the 23-year-old made his senior team debut at Camp Nou in 2018, he was subject to high expectations. But he was never able to make the transition from the academy to the first squad despite his potential.
Puig was informed by Xavi Hernandez and Barça this summer that his time at the club was up since he had been unable to create an impression under several managers. The Spaniard ultimately made the decision to relocate to the United States and sign with LA Galaxy after considerable thought.
Speaking in an interview with Fox Sports, Puig reflected on the circumstances leading to his exit, stating that he was left hurt by the club’s decision to drop him from the pre-season tour of the US earlier this summer.
“I was in Barcelona while all of my teammates were in Los Angeles playing matches… To be honest that hurt me a lot. Sometimes you have to take decisions, and they took that one, but I don’t agree with it,” he said.
The La Masia graduate admitted that the last phase of his Barcelona career did not go as per plans, but thanked the club for making him the footballer he is today.
“I have to thank Barcelona because I am who I am as a player thanks to them. The last part of my life at Barcelona was not how I wanted. I wasn’t treated how I would have liked. But that can be forgotten, and that’s that,” Puig said.
The midfielder had another interview with TUDN during which he expressed his dismay about his time with the Barcelona first-team setup, claiming that none of the managers he played under showed faith in him.
“I never had a coach who fully trusted me. As a player you can lose confidence but you can never lose continuity,” the 23-year-old said, as quoted by SPORT.
Having made the jump to LA Galaxy, Puig will likely make his debut for the MLS club this weekend against the Seattle Sounders.