There is no doubt that Riqui Puig is disappointed that Xavi did not believe in him and that his career therefore had to be continued in the USA. Now the Catalan technician has sent a bitter move toward his former coach.
Riqui Puig did not feel that Ronald Koeman gave him enough chances when the Dutchman coached Barca, so hopes were high for the midfielder when it was clear that it would be Xavi who took over. Puig clearly counted on Xavi to show him more confidence.
However, it did not work out that way and Puig chose in the summer of 2022 to leave his childhood club and go to the LA Galaxy in the United States, a league where usually aging players go, but the then 22-year-old Puig wanted to try something completely new, although there were also offers from clubs in La Liga.
On Sunday, Puig saw the opportunity to send a bitter pill against Xavi, who has not made the team work in recent matches. It happened after a post on X (Twitter) from the sports journalist Josep Capdevila, shortly before the match against Deportivo Alavés.
‘Xavi is well on his way to achieving it: a starting line-up at Barca without a single player of his own. Today there are only two. We are on our way to a Barca that is totally unrecognizable’ wrote Capdevila. Here he refers to a starting lineup with Ter Stegen, Cancelo, Araujo, Koundé, Martínez, Gündogan, Fermín, Pedri, Lewandowski, Yamal and Felix. Among these, only Yamal and Fermín are from the La Masia academy.
It was obviously something Puig completely agreed with, because the post received a ‘Like’ from him. Thus, Puig absorbs the criticism and it is certainly rooted in the fact that he felt passed over by Xavi, despite a long past at La Masia.
