A former Barcelona wonderkid has provided a reminder of his talents after rolling back the years with a sumptuous assist for the LA Galaxy.
The signing of Riqui Puig - who was once tipped for a bright future at Camp Nou - represented a major coup for MLS last summer, with the diminutive attacking midfielder having been released by his boyhood side to complete the move. The Catalonian giants were needing to shift several players on due to a bloated wage bill, meaning he was deemed surplus to requirements and allowed to leave for nothing.
Having been a bit part player under various managers at Barcelona, the move to MLS has allowed him to feature more regularly, with the technically gifted star having appeared ten times last term following a summer move. The 23-year-old scored three times as the team made the MLS Cup playoffs.
This season has been rather testing for all involved at the Dignity Health Sports Park franchise, however, with the Galaxy currently languishing in second from bottom at the foot of the Western Conference. The former Spain U-21s international has made 16 outings in MLS so far this term, notching a single strike and will be hoping that fortunes pick up in the coming months.
Major reprieve would have come in their most recent home game in the form of a victory against fellow strugglers Sporting Kansas City. The hosts were leading the game 2-1 heading into injury time courtesy of strikes from Martin Caceres and Preston Judd before a last minute equalizer earned the visitors a share of the points.
Despite the Galaxy's woes so far this campaign, aspects of the performance certainly provided some grounds for optimism, including the performance of former Blaugrana starlet Puig. The midfield maestro pulled the strings for his team, while also providing a resplendent assist for Judd for their second goal of the night.
Bringing a taste of La Masia excellence to proceedings, the two time Catalonia representative cut out four advancing defenders with a magnificent outside-of-the-boot drive to find his teammate, leaving striker Judd with only the goalkeeper to beat. The perfectly weighted lofted pass was duly dispatched beyond the opposition stopper with a nicely taken diving header.
The moment was one of the best moments of Puig's campaign so far, with the highlight so far having been his solo strike in the derby victory over neighbouring rivals LAFC in the US Open Cup. The 2-0 win over the club's nearest rivals in the "El Traffico" clash saw the former Barcelona prodigy notch the second of the night to put the result beyond doubt.
The tricky star bobbed and weaved his way through the challenges of LAFC's bamboozled defenders, before slotting the ball home. His celebration on the night did not go down too well with opposition defender Giorgio Chiellini, however, with the Italian defender having branded Puig a "clown" after the midfielder removed his shirt and held it to the home fans.
The former Juventus man made the remark while sitting on the bench after he was rested for the game. The celebration is, of course, a replication of Lionel Messi's famous one for Barcelona following his goal against Real Madrid back in 2017.
