25 February 2023 , 15:00
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Barcelona academy graduate Riqui Puig raised eyebrows last summer when he swapped the Nou Camp for the sunny beaches of Los Angeles, but the midfield maestro insists he has no regrets about leaving his boyhood club.
In fact, his natural happy grin was wiped completely off his face mid-way through talking to Mirror Football after he heard shouting from his team-mates in a nearby canteen, gleefully telling Puig his old side had gone 2-1 down to Manchester United in the Europa League.
Puig, 24, will begin his first full Major League Soccer season next week after Saturday's record-breaking season opener between LA Galaxy and LAFC was postponed. The midfielder, who made the move from Barcelona last summer after failing to hold down a place in Xavi's side - didn't dwell on his old team for long, however.
Reacting to the goal, he said with a wry smile: "I am from Barcelona, I'll always be a fan of Barcelona. My parents are members of Barcelona, I'll always want them to do well."
"I will always try to watch Barcelona, I'm a fan of Barcelona, I've been a fan of Barcelona since I was a little kid. But now I'm a part of the Galaxy. I always try to keep up, but whatever happens I'm a Galaxy player now."
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For a midfielder who came through at La Masia alongside the likes of Pedri and Gavi, much is expected of him this season. But Puig doesn't seem to be too fussed about the pressure and expectations placed upon him.
Riqui Puig believes MLS is an attractive league to young players from EuropeHe explained: "No pressure, but yeah I want to show the player I am and demonstrate the player I am coming from a great team like Barcelona."
The standard of football in North America has been on the rise in recent years, as evidenced by the USMNT reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup in Qatar. And Puig believes he's struggled to deal with the change from playing with a strong Barcelona side to playing in the Los Angeles sun.
He continued: "Yeah, the philosophy is better from here to there, but I'm just trying to adapt as soon as possible. I think here, it's not like in Barcelona where you have 60 to 70 per cent of the ball, you don't have the ball as much, you have to run more.
Riqui Puig and Gavi came through La Masia together"Here, we're trying to get better at that while having the ball better. When we can do that with the ball and defend better, we'll be a great team in MLS."
Starting on February 1, 2023, all MLS, Leagues Cup, and select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches can be watched through MLS Season Pass, available on the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. For more information about MLS, visit mlssoccer.com. For more information about the Apple TV app, visit apple.com/apple-tv-app.