Former Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig has left the club, but has been leaving evidence in Major League Soccer of his talents, most recently scoring a mazy goal for Los Angeles Galaxy.
The 23-year-old has become one of the key midfielders at LA Galaxy, and on Tuesday night, he scored the second in a 2-0 win over city rivals Los Angeles FC. It took his side through to the quarter-finals of the US Open Cup.
Love him or hate him, this is rather nice from Riqui Puig. #Barca pic.twitter.com/3Xo4M6qXlt
— Football España (@footballespana_) May 24, 2023
It did not go unnoticed that his celebration was the same as Lionel Messi’s classic at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2017. Something that did not go down well with opponent Giorgio Chiellini. The Italian legend was not involved with his side, LAFC, but as Puig was giving an interview in the mix zone, Chiellini could be seen walking away in the background, and heard shouting ‘clown’. Puig does a good job of pretending not to notice, but clearly he is still a controversial figure.
LAFC's Giorgio Chiellini shouts "payaso" ("clown") at Riqui Puig during the LA Galaxy midfielder's post-match interview. pic.twitter.com/3cd3ETlo15
— James Nalton (@JDNalton) May 24, 2023
