Riqui Puig 'disappointed' and 'hurt' by Barcelona treatment
Suraj Radia
- 23 Aug 2022 18:58 BST
- 3 min read
Riqui Puig has revealed his disappointment with Barcelona and Xavi after the way he was forced out the club this summer.
The 23-year-old recently joined MLS side LA Galaxy on a free transfer after being left out of Barcelona's pre-season squad and forced to train on his own.
Puig had previously resisted attempts by Barca to make him leave but admitted he was hurt by his boyhood team despite understanding their need to lower their wage bill.
“I am very disappointed with Barça and with Xavi,” Puig admitted. "It was a tough month because I had never seen that before, leaving players behind in Barcelona and going on a tour without them.
"Perhaps I understand the club’s position, they want to put pressure on players to leave, but there are other ways to do it.
"It was really difficult being in Barcelona, training alone, with four other team-mates who were also there with me.
“After seven years at the club, being in Barcelona when all my team-mates are in Los Angeles playing matches, well, the truth is that it hurt me a lot.
"It’s a difficult situation and sometimes you have to make decisions and they have made this decision but I don’t agree with it.”
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Puig, who Barcelona retain a sell-on clause for as well as an option to rebuy him for €10 million, had previously spoken of not feeling 'trusted' by any of his past managers.
“I never had a coach who fully trusted me. As a player, you can lose confidence but you can never lose continuity,” Puig said.
“I have to thank Barcelona because I am who I am as a player thanks to them. The last part of my life at Barcelona was not how I wanted. I wasn’t treated how I would have liked. But that can be forgotten, and that’s that,” he added.
Time for an @MLS debut, @RiquiPuig ✨ pic.twitter.com/WDPhP8Sb9d
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) August 20, 2022
The quotes add substance to the sentiment surrounding Barcelona this summer from figures throughout the footballing world, particularly due to their treatment of players, such as Frenkie De Jong.
De Jong was unwilling to join Manchester United as he is owed €17m in unpaid wages by Barca but the club threatened him with legal action over his contract in an attempt to get him to leave without claiming his deferred salary.
Barca have spent more than €150m on players this summer despite making players such as Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets take a wage cut, as they look to curb their reported €1.3 billion debt.
