Riqui Puig
Spanish footballer (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ricard "Riqui" Puig Martí (Catalan pronunciation: [riˈkaɾt ˈriki ˈputʃ]; born 13 August 1999) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy.
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Puig with LA Galaxy in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricard Puig Martí[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 August 1999[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Matadepera, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | LA Galaxy | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2013 | Jàbac Terrassa | ||
| 2013–2018 | Barcelona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2020 | Barcelona B | 56 | (2) |
| 2018–2022 | Barcelona | 42 | (2) |
| 2022– | LA Galaxy | 68 | (23) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020–2021 | Spain U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2019– | Catalonia | 2 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 30 March 2021 | |||
Club career
Barcelona
Born in Matadepera, Barcelona, Catalonia, Puig joined Barcelona's La Masia in 2013, from UFB Jàbac Terrassa.[4] After progressing through the youth setup, he made his senior debut with the reserves on 24 February 2018, coming on as a second-half substitute for Marcus McGuane in a 1–1 home draw against Gimnàstic Tarragona in the Segunda División championship.[5]
On 11 June 2018, Puig renewed his contract with Barça until 2021, and was promoted to the B-team in the Segunda División B.[6] He made his first team debut on 5 December, replacing fellow youth graduate Oriol Busquets in the 55th minute of a 4–1 home routing of Cultural Leonesa, in the season's Copa del Rey; he also assisted Denis Suárez, who scored Barcelona's fourth goal.[7]
Puig made his La Liga debut on 13 April 2019, starting and playing 67 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Huesca.[8] He scored his first goal for Barça B on 14 September, the second in a 2–2 home draw against AE Prat.[9]
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On 6 October 2020, Puig was promoted to the first team, being handed the number 12 jersey which was previously worn by Rafinha.[10]
On 13 January 2021, Puig scored the winning penalty in the penalty shootout (Barcelona won 3–2) after being held at 1–1 at the end of extra time by Real Sociedad in the Supercopa de España semi-final.[11] On 24 January 2021, Puig scored his first goal for the first team in a 2–0 away win in La Liga against Elche, when he headed in Barcelona's second goal from a Frenkie de Jong assist.[12]
LA Galaxy
On 4 August 2022, Puig joined Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy on a free transfer and signed a 3.5-year contract with Targeted Allocation Money.[13][14] He made his debut on 19 August as a substitute against Seattle Sounders FC, contributing to a 3–3 draw.[14] Puig scored his first MLS goal—a strike from outside the box in the 89th minute—in a 2–2 draw with Toronto FC on 31 August.[15] He was positioned as a playmaker and averaged more than 75 passes per 90 minutes with a high rate of completion as the Galaxy lost only once in their final ten regular season matches.[16] The team qualified for the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs, where they were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals.[17]
On 31 May 2024, Puig signed a new contract with the Galaxy, keeping him at the club until 2027.[18] Later that year, on 30 November, he suffered an ACL rupture during the Western Conference final against Seattle Sounders, yet he provided an assist which led to a 1–0 victory, qualifying his club to the MLS Cup final.[19] The Galaxy went on to win MLS Cup, beating the New York Red Bulls 2–1. Puig did not play for the entire 2025 season, which saw the LA Galaxy miss the playoffs, and underwent a second knee surgery in Barcelona in January 2026. He is scheduled to miss the 2026 season during recovery and rehabilitation.[20]
Style of play
His style of play is characterized by his abilities of directing the motion of the game through his great attacking prowess. A product of La Masia, he has drawn comparisons to Andrés Iniesta in the past.[21]
Personal life
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barcelona B | 2017–18 | Segunda División | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | Segunda División B | 32 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Segunda División B | 21 | 2 | — | — | — | 21 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 56 | 2 | — | — | — | 56 | 2 | |||||
| Barcelona | 2018–19 | La Liga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019–20 | La Liga | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | La Liga | 14 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 24 | 1 | |
| 2021–22 | La Liga | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| Total | 42 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 2 | ||
| LA Galaxy | 2022 | Major League Soccer | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[e] | 0 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2023 | Major League Soccer | 29 | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | 2[f] | 1 | 34 | 9 | ||
| 2024 | Major League Soccer | 29 | 13 | — | — | 7[g] | 4 | 36 | 17 | |||
| 2025 | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 68 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 115 | 46 | ||
| Career total | 166 | 27 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 231 | 50 | ||
- Includes Copa del Rey and U.S. Open Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in Supercopa de España
- One appearance in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in MLS Cup playoffs
- Appearances in Leagues Cup
- Three appearances in Leagues Cup, four appearances and four goals in MLS Cup playoffs
Honours
Barcelona Youth
Barcelona
LA Galaxy
Individual
