From this side of the pond, the MLS is not the place to be for a player who graduated from the famed Barcelona academy and attracted credible comparisons to Andres Iniesta. But that is the gamble that Riqui Puig took, and it is paying off handsomely for the LA Galaxy midfielder.
Eleven games into his spell in a league often associated with players at the opposite end of their careers, the 23-year-old is shining in a resurgent Galaxy side that is back in the play-offs for the first time in three years.
Thursday night is his biggest stage since heading stateside. Galaxy are the underdogs in 'El Traffico', the MLS Western Conference semi-final against Gareth Bale, Georgio Chiellini and Carlos Vela's LAFC, with 16-goal MVP nominee Cristian Arango set to the line for the Western Conference winners at Banc of California Stadium.
Puig has never been short of famous fans, with former Barca, Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas compared the Spaniard to a former teammate earlier this year. "Riqui can become like Iniesta, for example, if coaches trust him," he told RAC1. "I know that comparing him with Andres are big words but such a player could cost a fortune on today's market. I'm sure Riqui has what it takes to succeed, he just has to have the right attitude and keep improving."
But his exit from the Camp Nou was no surprise. He was once among the most heralded prospects coming out of La Masia, but manager Xavi – once a huge admirer of the young Catalonian – left the midfielder out of the squad for the club's pre-season tour to the United States in the summer. At that time, he was behind Pedri, Gavi, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie De Jong and new signing Franck Kessie in the pecking order.
But his next destination certainly raised eyebrows. A couple of months after his teammates flew over the Atlantic, Puig was on a stateside flight of his own. Opportunities to stay in Europe, including in Serie A, were snubbed for Major League Soccer.
A league that had been dubbed a 'retirement home' for Europe's fading elite is slowly changing. Bale's move to LAFC after leaving Real Madrid certainly complies with the stereotype built on the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard ending their careers with the Galaxy – and Bale has played as a substitute in 10 of his 12 appearances – but Italy stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi are much closer to their prime years and still want to play for their country after joining Toronto FC in the summer.
There is some way to go, but the quality is rising and Puig is thriving. For the geeks that enjoy their stats, his FBRef chart is a joy to behold, ranking in the 99th percentile for passes attempted, progressive passes and progressive carries. In more simple terms, in 10 starts from central midfield, he has three goals and two assists, including a screamer to equalise against Toronto in September.
The goals from Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez have played a big part in the Galaxy's return to post-season contention, but Puig's mid-season arrival has given them a spark and he has only tasted defeat once in his 11 games. It is a welcome upturn in fortunes for a player who was doubtless hurt by his departure from Barcelona, but leaving behind the chaos of the Camp Nou looks like a blessing in disguise.
Hopes were high when he broke through as a teenager. Patrick Kluivert, Ernesto Valverde and Xavi – before he became manager – all talked up his potential. After a pre-season friendly against AC Milan in 2018, Gennaro Gattuso said watching Puig was a "spectacle". "He's got a kid's face, but he has football inside."It's something I marvel at," the then Milan boss added.
He made more than 50 appearances for Barca but he never made it beyond the fringes of the squad; Xavi, Ronald Koeman and Quique Setien never fully committed to playing him.
In March, Xavi said: "It’s sad for me that I can’t give him more minutes. He has players in front of him like Gavi, Pedri, Nico and Frenkie as well. It’s not a question of level of performance, he’s training well, improving individually, but there’s great competition for him."
Koeman during his time in charge had raised questions about Puig's physicality and Setien demanded he improved the defensive side of his game. A few years down the line, Puig still is not much of a defender, but for Galaxy boss Greg Vanney, his playmaking ability is more than worth the cost. Tackling and pressing are not his forte, but as an attacking package in his short stint so far, he is in the conversation for the best players in the league.
"I knew he could bring something a little bit more dynamic, a little bit different to our team," Vanney told The Athletic. "The movement with the ball — not just the receive and pass and manipulation, but actually the speed at which he can move with the ball, find new spaces, eliminate the first defender. Things like that become just different in our midfield, so obviously that was exciting.”
Galaxy booked their place in the conference semi-final by grinding out a 1-0 win over Nashville on Saturday, and they will have to upset the odds against LAFC if they are to keep their hopes of a first MLS Cup since 2014 alive.
The 23-year-old, obviously, will be desperate to inspire a memorable win for his new club, but there is a bigger picture. MLS is not the endgame for him. It was a big risk to leave behind the prestige of Europe's storied domestic competitions and the Champions League. Had he failed to succeed in the MLS, his career prospects would have been bleak.
Instead, he has been a roaring success and if he continues in this form naturally there will be attempts to lure the small, nimble midfielder back to this continent. But happiness must be a consideration, too. He is blazing his own trail in California after a miserable end to his time at a club he joined as a 12-year-old, and he insists he will not rush back to Europe until he is ready.
"I’m very ambitious and I do like looking forward and planning my future," he told The Athletic. "I’m very happy here and I decided to come here in order to take a step forward and to be seen. It had been a long time since I was able to do what I love, consistently. I’ve found that here. It’s true that at 23, I would like to return to Europe in the future and do big things in Europe. I can’t deny that, but I really am happy here.
"If I’m offered a contract here for more years, I’m definitely going to consider it. You can live well here, raise a family. My family really likes Los Angeles. At the moment I’m not closing the door on anything. I’d like to return to Europe but it’s not something that I’m thinking about right now. Perhaps in the future it could happen."
