.jpg) Puig withLA Galaxy in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricard Puig Martí[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1999-08-13)13 August 1999 (age 26)[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 | |||
Ricard "Riqui"Puig Martí (Catalan pronunciation:[riˈkaɾtˈrikiˈputʃ]; born 13 August 1999) is a Spanish professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder forMajor League Soccer clubLA Galaxy.
Born inMatadepera, Barcelona, Catalonia, Puig joinedBarcelona'sLa Masia in 2013, from UFB Jàbac Terrassa.[4] After progressing through the youth setup, he made his senior debut withthe reserves on 24 February 2018, coming on as a second-halfsubstitute forMarcus McGuane in a 1–1 home draw againstGimnàstic Tarragona in theSegunda División championship.[5]
On 11 June 2018, Puig renewed his contract withBarça until 2021, and was promoted to the B-team in theSegunda División B.[6] He made his first team debut on 5 December, replacing fellow youth graduateOriol Busquets in the 55th minute of a 4–1 home routing ofCultural Leonesa, inthe season'sCopa del Rey; he also assistedDenis Suárez, who scored Barcelona's fourth goal.[7]
Puig made hisLa Liga debut on 13 April 2019, starting and playing 67 minutes in a 0–0 draw againstHuesca.[8] He scored his first goal for Barça B on 14 September, the second in a 2–2 home draw againstAE Prat.[9]
_77.jpg)
On 6 October 2020, Puig was promoted to the first team, being handed the number 12 jersey which was previously worn byRafinha.[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 byReal Sociedad in theSupercopa 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 againstElche, when he headed in Barcelona's second goal from aFrenkie de Jong assist.[12]
On 4 August 2022, Puig joinedMajor League Soccer clubLA Galaxy on a free transfer and signed a 3.5-year contract withTargeted Allocation Money.[13][14] He made his debut on 19 August as a substitute againstSeattle 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 withToronto 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 the2022 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 anACL rupture during theWestern Conference final againstSeattle Sounders, yet he provided an assist which led to a 1–0 victory, qualifying his club to theMLS Cup final.[19] The Galaxy went on to win MLS Cup, beating theNew York Red Bulls 2–1.
A product ofLa Masia, he is known to be a player capable of directing the motion of the game through his great attacking prowess. He has drawn comparisons toAndrés Iniesta in the past, however he has also struggled for playing time.[20]
Riqui Puig's father, Carlos, was also a footballer. Aleft-back, he spent his entire career representingTerrassa.[4] In April 2023, Puig participated in a $20 million investment fund for the upcomingfree-to-play football video gameGoals.[21]
| 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 | |||
| Total | 68 | 23 | 3 | 1 | — | 11 | 5 | 82 | 29 | |||
| Career total | 166 | 27 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 198 | 33 | ||
Barcelona Youth
Barcelona
LA Galaxy
Individual
