Ex-Barça man Riqui Puig on life in MLS and right-back Julian Araujo

Riqui Puig is a happy man in Los Angeles. His departure in the summer for Major League Soccer was the end for the 'eternal promise' of La Masia.

The player from Matadepera is now preparing for a new season, and on Saturday he starts, this time from scratch, the campaign with an LA Galaxy side led by Javier 'Chicharito' Hernández. In an interview with 'EFE,' he assured he is 'happy and motivated' to face this new challenge. 

The ex-Barcelona midfielder was crucial in the take-off in 2022 of the Galaxy, who lost only two games out of twelve with Puig in the side. On his adaptation to a new life in the United States, the young midfielder confessed to being very relaxed: "Now that I've been in a home since January, I'm very comfortable. At the moment I don't miss Barcelona, which is saying a lot.... And every month my parents, my girlfriend and my brothers and sisters come to visit me. The truth is that right now I'm very happy."

Julián Araújo, who was Riqui Puig's team-mate at LA Galaxy, took the opposite route to him after swapping Los Angeles for Barcelona. The Mexican full-back signed until 2026 with the Catalan giants after two weeks of uncertainty.

"I told him: 'I don't think you have to think about it: you have to go for sure.' It's an experience for him to grow as a player and it's one of the best clubs in Europe. I'm not even talking about the city because it's a perfect city," said Riqui. 

The 21-year-old Mexican will join Barça Atlètic in the hope of being a good resource for the first team. "

Araújo is a player who can give Barça a lot. He goes into space a lot, has a lot of depth and, as Barcelona play with very wide full-backs, he can be very good for them," said Riqui. 

Asked about Barça's future from the outside, the 23-year-old was very optimistic about Xavi's project. He said he doesn't miss a single game.

"I think Barcelona are playing very well this year. The numbers say so. They've conceded seven goals in 22 league games. It's brutal. That's what Barcelona was missing, to improve in that aspect, because offensively they always score goals and create a lot of chances. I think Barcelona can do great things this year," he opined. 

The North American competition kicks off this coming weekend, with Riqui Puig's side as one of the title contenders.

"Winning the league is the main objective for the group and also for me. I come from a winning club and I don't see anything else but winning. When we have space and play what we want to play, I think we are one of the strongest teams in MLS," he said.