The Riqui Puig from 2024 is almost unrecognizable from 2021. For starters, the La Masia graduate has traded his brown, flowing hair for a bleached blond, shorter coiffure. Puig now dons the lightning-white jerseys of LA Galaxy somewhat than the blue and garnet of Barcelona. Slightly than a star-struck teen famous for his creativity, uncooked expertise and impatience, Puig has matured into among the best gamers MLS has to supply. Puig is a brand new man, one who may arguably begin on a Champions League roster this season.
Puig confronted difficulties at Barcelona
It’s proven. Puig broke by Barcelona’s first workforce through the catastrophic Koeman period with comparisons to Andres Iniesta earlier than he performed a LaLiga match. Puig was heralded as essentially the most artistic midfielder on the workforce, previous younger phenoms Pedri and Gavi.
He burst onto the scene as a precocious teenager who shocked everybody along with his ability. Puig stepped right into a midfield of Sergio Busquets, Arturo Vidal and Arthur Melo, all generally known as three of the world’s finest midfielders and utterly managed the tempo. Though his finest attribute was his creativity: linking play up with the midfield and carving up low blocks; he may drop deep and assist beat the press. Standing at 5’7, Puig was the archetype of La Masia midfielders: diminutive, artful midfielders who may carry the ball properly.
However his aptitude reportedly got here with an absence of maturity on the sphere. Puig, seeming match as a artistic No. 10, usually wandered away from his assigned areas, inflicting defensive breakdowns. Puig appeared lazy on protection at instances, and when put next with brighter skills like Pedri, Ilaix Moriba and Frenkie de Jong, Puig didn’t neatly slot into Koeman’s beginning eleven.
With Barcelona billions of euros in debt and dealing with an apocalyptic future with out Lionel Messi, Koeman was fired, and Xavi got here in. Beneath Xavi, Puig noticed fewer minutes behind Busquets, de Jong and Gavi. Later, Puig can be pressured out.
“I consider I used to be not handled pretty after I got here again to coaching in pre-season final summer season when the membership didn’t let me practice with them,” Puig stated. “I feel if I nonetheless have a contract with the membership, I ought to have the ability to act like that they usually can’t inform me to not practice with them.”
“That’s what irritated me throughout my final years there. As quickly as this occurred, I attempted to search for my manner out fairly rapidly,” he added. “I had the LA Galaxy possibility fairly superior and needed to maneuver overseas, change my life, and go to the opposite aspect of the world.”
Riqui Puig leads an LA Galaxy workforce poised for trophies
After touchdown in Los Angeles, the distinction in tradition between a soccer-crazy Barcelona metropolis and a workforce with ten professional sports activities groups was hanging for Puig.
“I can play golf in peace right here, it’s good for me to disconnect. Once I performed in Barcelona, it was mayhem. I can go to dinner in peace right here, and nobody bothers me.”
“I’m younger and I needed to exit. There have been non-sports points. Individuals adopted me to my house, they needed to know the place I used to be going to have dinner. It was my personal life. Right here within the US, soccer is the fourth sport.”
So was the tempo and high quality of play. Puig stepped into an LA Galaxy squad searching for midfielders and instantly turned the workforce’s finest playmaker. In simply 12 appearances with LA Galaxy, Puig , added two assists, and led the workforce to a Western Convention semi-final look.
A season later, Puig loved artistic freedom on a mediocre Galaxy squad. Puig led the league in a number of passing-related stats, together with progressive passes and passes into the ultimate third. The Spaniard retained his standing as arguably the perfect midfielder within the league because of his dribbling, means to create pictures and sheer attacking expertise. Puig made alternatives out of nothing — the place his assault failed, he excelled.
Puig’s future in MLS
After falling in need of a playoff look in 2023, LA Galaxy shelled out $21 million on participant transfers, together with a membership report $10 million on Brazilian winger Gabriel Pec. Now, Puig is having fun with a wholly refurbished entrance line to work with. Ex-Genk winger Joseph Painstil and striker Diego Fagundez have hit the bottom working in 2024.
Fourth within the Supporters’ Protect standings, LA Galaxy scored the fifth-most objectives within the league. Their play has been sensible, with Puig because the workforce’s gleaming heart jewel. Regardless of taking part in as a #10, Puig usually drifts deep to take the ball from the center-backs. Regardless of his questionable defensive work charge, Puig has essentially the most touches within the league. He’s offensively gifted, a lot in order that he overshadowed Messi in Galaxy’s 1-1 draw with Inter Miami.
Puig beforehand advised Los Angeles retailers that his purpose can be to return to Europe and it’s a giant chance. Rumors rose that Barcelona needed to deliver him again to Camp Nou as a consequence of their midfield revamp, and Puig may discover a house at a top-tier LaLiga aspect as properly. Nonetheless, Puig lately inked a contract extension to maintain him in LA till 2027. If a workforce needs him, they may must pay upwards of $20 million.
With Lionel Messi nearing the twilight of his profession and Thiago Almada set to make his Botafogo debut tomorrow, Puig may very properly be known as the face of MLS. His creativity and intelligence have gotten him a number of followers, and he’s one of many flashiest gamers within the league. It helps much more that LA Galaxy is arguably essentially the most entertaining workforce within the West. He’ll be the identify you’ll must know as LA Galaxy searches for its first MLS Cup in a decade.
PHOTOS: IMAGO
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