The Time Barca's "Next Iniesta" Chose Fame over Football 

Up Next ilax morriba.

He literally choose to get minutes instead of sitting on the bench at barcelona earning millions. How did he choose fame over football?!?

in my opinion it was the right thing for him to leave barca. Dont get me wrong he was good but at least from my perspective he could not compete with the other midfielders barca had/has! I think he should have pushed for a loan or leave for an european club, mls was the wrong decision imo

Only reason why puig left is because xavi barely played him, anyone who truly loves the game would leave a club where their not being played.

Riqui Puig was never going to get minutes at Barca, he moved to the LA Galaxy to get regular minutes and possibly get a move back to Europe in the future. Plenty of players have moved from Europe to MLS to back. Djordje Petrovic left the serbian for league for the MLS and now he's at Chelsea

Next video: ranking all barca signings post messi departure

he’s making almost 2 million a year, plus all his endorsement cash to be a star player in the MLS and live in LA which is a city that clearly fits his personality. I don’t think he regrets his decision at all, and i’m not so sure he even wants a move back to europe in the future.

This was a good move for him. Had he moved to a lower tier team he would’ve been forgotten about like Dennis Suarez and Aleena for example

I totally disagree with the tittle of your video. Puig made it clear to everyone that he wants to succeed at Barca, he had to leave because Xavi does not count on him and he was in a stage of his career were he needs playing time to reach his full potential, similar to what happen with Alena, Halilovic, fati etc. Unlike Moriba or Dembele. Please get your sh*t together!

Football is very short career. As long as he is happy, doesnt matter. He can become cult hero at america. America is no 1 country for advertising.

Lmfaoooo, Oscar proved himself in Chelsea... Dont lump him in with a 22 year old going to MLS

Puig was a bit overhyped. He was 'exciting' at the time, as he came through when there was a bit of a La Masia drought; a midfielder who played with a lot of energy in a team of dinosaurs. However, looking at the young midfielders who came through, each of which was far more ready for the Barca 1st team than he ever was. I also disagree with the title; but it probably is meant to be click-baity. Other players like a Carles Alena, a Christian Tello, who turned out to have a respectable career, chose to have a more standard European path. He just chose a less conventional path, as he chose to be a leader, star of a project on a big city team in a lesser league, taking advantage of his experience and background.

I'd love to see you do a video on Sergi Samper... I still cant believe he didn't make it at Barca let alone go to any other European giant SMH

Ilaix moriba also need a video

He has not improved at LA. It's just that the bar the MLS has set is so low, that it makes him look great lol

Let’s call a dog a bad name to hang it…Puig is more gifted than lots of midteam midfielders in Europe

I had so much hope for him

I liked him first time I saw him in the preseason, but as soon as he got some minutes in an actual competitive match for Barca, I didn't like how he played. He was a fan favorite and I remember fans claiming that he was better than Pedri and it was just that coach was favoring Pedri over him for no reason. I saw Pedri as a generational talant and Puig simply was not it. unfortunately Pedri got too many injuries and so far even he can't achieve the level he is capable of.

Next one Nico Gonzales, plz

I wasnt surprised i always felt puig was never going to be that guy at barcelona i never saw the hype people had for him he just had his moments

He was never the next Iniesta 😂

He never was that good to make video about him

Seeing the intro I thought this is the wrong video 😂

Puts into perspective how diff the top level is. Riqui dominated the youth level in all aspects like legit blew them all away but couldn’t hack it in la liga

Been waiting for this

I think it is a great decision. In general i think players should make enjoyment of the game a more important factor, besides financial gain and fame, if only for their mental health.

I'm happy for him honestly. He's talented but Barça has been too tough with his youngsters. He chose a good league to play in and be one of the best

i remember saw him and charles alena at barca b playing together giving xavi and iniesta vibes on the midfield

Stopping kids from saying first

Hey man, great video. However, entrusting LA Galaxy to not have an exciting project at the moment is wrong, they've moved to buying young or experienced players that were great in different leagues. Inter Miami having an exciting project is purely down to ex barca players, which isn't quite a future project like Galaxy are trying to mold. I do believe however you're right in terms of the type of player he is, and why he chose Galaxy.

Barca would never have believed on Puig. As a culer he made the right choice for him.

Getafe is the Millwall of La Liga. Not even Riqui would have deserved to be in that sh*t hole.

Man it feels like a journeys mode in real life lol

lou you need to make a video about christensen!

He doesn't need to move back to Europe He can make his stamp there and become a legend

when he first debuted I thought he was legit then bro feel in love with hookah and partying with Pique. Thank god we got Pedri.

The ball looks so big when he is dribbling lol

Up next: Oscar Mingueza Please

Barca were in a horrible state when he broke through We signed FDJ and others then We don't play an Attacking midfield role, so no natural place for him He would have been the Fermin of now, great squad player,with great run ins

Why coutinho failed at barca?make a video on that

The Gods denied him the body to be a complete footballer. Modern football has become too physical for someone like Riqui to cope.

Riqui Puig Deserve plays with National Team As a Barca fan it was one of the saddest moments for me when he was ignored and finally sold. He is a talent and I hope he develops it well and go back to Europe and top teams

He played well but he also made loads of bad passes when not under pressure. I remember him giving the ball away a lot

“Choose fame over football” was literally in the b team at 23 and not getting mins. I don’t know how coming to the US is fame if no one even knows who he is here besides football fans.

It’s better to know your limitations. Then to not know it.

He would never have survived in the English Premier. He would have needed to play for one of the top teams for him to play his game and there was never any hint of that happening. If he have gone to one of the teams at the lower end, he'd have been bullied in every game. The English league is way too physical for a player like Riqui.

Carles Aleña, Nico Gonzalez & Miranda.. i’m still sad we lost them at their peak. Nico loan made no sense. His ability to score & defend are underrated

I mean people just don't understand now a days, we don't hear camp nou chanting players names often, Riqui has got the feel, and wanted more of that, if he wants to hear fans chanting his name so be it.. he's clear he knows what he's capable of.. and he's in the right place!! Dude knows what he has done. He's getting paid good money!! He'll be off to Saudi most probably.. after this run!! Career saved by his intelligence not football intelligence!! Even if he just plays till 30, he'll make decent money for his living!! I just respect the fact he's doing what he wanted and what he's actually capable off... And not actually trying to follow a saint life by working so hard with less rewards!! People are forgetting one basic thing about footballers, they need drive, happiness and they need to feel good about themselves and also they need people behind them..... Rique is getting all that.. we'll see him in the future for Spain!!

And then how philpi Coutinho was a big misfit for barcelona 😅

Puig should represent usa..usa meeds him

My favorite Barcelona player 😢

I think he will eventually transfer to a lower or mid level team in the Saudi league

The kid might love the L.A lifestyle. And if he being made to feel like the poster boy of the club and he is payed well then i can understand that.

Puig has a 70 overall card now 😢

Xavi Simons would be a good video. Especially because he actually turned out to be good. I can’t stand him though. I think it has something to do with his face.

Great technique, absolutely no football brain, and you're 100% right, he likes being a big fish in a smaller pond.

do you have a discord server, Lou?

Remember that we kept dembele😂..just to get backstabbed

Riqui Puig was living off his academy hype, Pedri is surely the next iniesta, puig would have been the next Rafinha,sorry to say

Every year and every season La Masia boasts to have the next best thing out of their academy. Remove Puig and you have other players that never really made it at Uefalona.

Anybody remember Isaac Cuenca😢

He shoud've gone to the Saudi league

Whoelse is waiting for him to stream for the Las palmas game 😢 👇

MLS is becoming a bigger league and they're taking Soccer seriously in terms of increasing spending and actually bringing in outside talent. Puig saw that and he's smart about it

Like fabregas said. If coach trust him. Coaches are killing our talents. Koeman killed him, xavi is killing fati. Then hopefully no one will yamal

Don’t disrespect him like that xavi said he don’t want him

The attacking midfielder role in Barca academy has to change style, or leave We don't play such role over here,

Riqui Puig was not the next Iniesta he was just a young player that won the Uefa Youth League. All the coaches told him that he needs to build muscle (like Pedri or Gavi did) but he did not lisent, he was not putting effort in training sessions and was not opened to move in a loan at another club. He was doing nothing and expected to be played in the first squad, he was not a hard working player and he believed that he has the talent of Messi but he was closer to Harry Maguire than Messi or Iniesta. And not to say that he was a snitch, telling the press what was happening in the dressing room of barcelona. He deserved his failure!

Bro chose the onlyfan route of football

He gets money in MLS. Why would he be worried about Europe?

Koeman just hated him

LA Galaxy is not a good team? They are currently 2nd in the whole league with one less played game. Make it make sense

Very much disagree with this video. He left to get minutes on a internationally known team

I kind of feel he was neglected by Koeman

The next iniesta The next messi The next puyol The next xavi The next alves How about moving forward

Are you a Europhile? A hater? Both? The eyes of the soccer *world* are going to be on the USA for the next two years and he plays on one of the best known clubs in the country. How is that going to hurt his reputation? The *world* is not going to care about a game between Barcelona and Brighton (Fati) or any other lower table La Liga team with Puig on it. Also, Cucurella took 4/5 years to make it onto a 'big' club. Did the other two (Alena/Suarez) you mentioned even make it to 'big' clubs? If those are the standards you're comparing him to, wouldn't it be fair to wait 4/5 years to see if going to MLS vs a mid/lower table La Liga team was a mistake?

Weird video considering we don’t live in his shoes

24 he is cooked

Don’t talk about my king like this

He was barely given a chance 🤷🏾‍♂️

Inter Miami interesting project 😂😂😂 With their mid run so far,

YES ITS HEREEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes we choose happiness over greatness. Is it wrong or right?

Tomorrow barca match❤

Bro you have no ball knowledge. Messi's advice to young midfielders was to walk more, yet here you are calling it pathetic. Also get a haircut.

I use tell people that this boy is better than pedri

The coaches never trusted him, even Xabi didn't give him enough playing time because of the likes of Pedri, Gavi and De Jong.

Hes not getting back in Europe with 9 goals and 4 assists in 34 games for la galaxy

He was never good enough. It’s that simple

I am sure Puig is better than Dest.

Not a fair assessment at all, he did not choose fame over football

"Chose fame" so went to *checks notes* .... la galaxy lmao He could handle it at the elite level so had to downgrade and thats cool but lets not rewrite history

bro thinks hes beckham

CESC DIDNT BREAK THROUGH ARSENAL BROKE HIM THROUGH

Love ur videos man your doing great❤

pero si siempre fue malo, el tipico jugador inflado por salir de la masia, si salia de las inferiores del almeria ahora estaria jugando en tercera regional

00:48 raptures? Not rafters?

He was a mediocre la masia talent, you talk him way bigger than he ever was.

don’t disrespect my goat bum

Next Inesta! are you joking,, pouge was an average player in Barca,, he wasnt up to the level of barca midfield.