Leader of a LA Galaxy that has started the new MLS season with very good feelings, Riqui Puig, who prefers not to talk too much about his Blaugrana past, assured in an interview by video call with the EFE Agency that Barcelona “He has the best president he can have” with Joan Laporta at the helm.
With two goals and two assists in five games, Puig (Matadepera, Spain, 1999) He took the reins of the Galaxy after the departure of Mexican Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández and, now in his third season in the MLS, he is savoring the sweet start to the year of a Galaxy that is second in the Westwhich is undefeated with two wins and three draws and which this Saturday hosts the Seattle Sounders in its field.
Question: Enough time has passed since your arrival in 2022 to the MLS, what is your assessment?
Answer: I always say that it is a very different league from the Spanish one. Coming here changed the way I play. They are more ‘box-to-box’, no one has possession or control. They are more interesting for the fans and for me as a player. I have been able to learn and improve physically, which I think was something I had to improve.
Q: Is there anything that has surprised you about this football?
A: There is a lot of difference in level in some players, there are guys with a lot of category and they make a difference. The league is more physical. I thought there would be more time to think, but when you play in the MLS you have to do it before receiving and play quickly because they go like bullets.
Q: Where do you think the Galaxy will be at the end of the season?
A: I think we have a very competitive team, very fast people. The way I play is going very well for me and I feel very comfortable with them, especially with Joseph (Paintsil), who is very fast in space and it suits me. I think we have conceded quite a few goals but we are being more forceful. That could put us in the top three of the conference.
Q: How is it living in a city like Los Angeles?
A: At first it was difficult for me to adapt because it is a city where you have to do some planning before leaving home. Maybe you’ll be in the car for four hours. The traffic is impressive. It’s one of the things that cost me the most. I live quite far from the sports city and I spend a lot of time driving, but I am comfortable.
There are good restaurants, good atmosphere, young people, I’m really liking it. At first it was difficult for me to find my place but once you find your area it is an impressive city.
Q: You have a contract until 2025. Afterwards would you like to return to Europe?
A: We are in talks with the Galaxy for the renewal. Yes, it is true that for personal reasons and ambition I would like to return to Europe. I must also say that I am very comfortable, enjoying football a lot, which I haven’t done for a long time.
I feel very important and the coach, my teammates and the club give me confidence. Going to Europe now seems a bit far away. I want to stay a few years, if I can make a mark within the Galaxy, and have people speak well of me.
Barcelona from a distance
Q: You recently faced friends like Busquets, Alba, Messi and Suárez (1-1 against Inter Miami). Did you have time to talk a little about Barcelona?
A: At the end of the game I was in his locker room and we didn’t talk much about it. It’s a bit of a delicate topic, more so as the club is at the moment. I didn’t want to ask about it either: I’m not there anymore, neither are they, I don’t know if they would want to talk about it. They’re in Miami, making a new life, and I’m in Los Angeles. It is a topic that was left aside.
Q: How are you experiencing this difficult period for Barça from a distance?
A: I have been a culé since I was a child, when I was four years old I was a member. It’s true that it makes me feel very bad to see them having a hard time, especially with the good relationship I have with Joan Laporta. Right now the club has the best president it can have. He is doing his best, I think he is trying to solve the problems he had from the past. It tastes bad, especially when it is the club of my life, a great club that everyone knows. Now they are in Montjuic and the usual people are not going.
Q: Was it surreal for you to see yourself in the United States playing against former teammates and friends who now wear pink?
A: If you told me four years ago that I was going to meet Leo, ‘Busi’, Jordi and Luis in Los Angeles, me playing for the Galaxy and them in Miami, in an MLS opening match, I would have said it was impossible .
But once there I had a great time. I have a very good relationship with Busquets, we talk almost every week, the same with Jordi. They are people that I carry in my heart and finding them in the league was impressive. Also playing against the best in history, with whom I have shared a dressing room for four years.
Q: Do you see Inter Miami as very favorites or can the toughness of the league take its toll on them?
A: I wouldn’t say they are favorites, there are teams that are not so unbalanced. Miami has some positions in which I see them weaker. Having the best player in history changes a lot, and even more so with Luis, Busquets and Alba around.
They are quite favorites, but I don’t think they are the most: I would put them in the ‘top’ three to win the MLS this year.
2024-03-25 18:47:47
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