Riqui Puig to LA Galaxy: the biggest summer in MLS history just got bigger

Not so long ago, Riqui Puig was seen as the face of Barcelona’s future. At a time when the identity of the Catalan club was in question, the young midfielder was the embodiment of what Barca aspired to be again. He ticked all the boxes: diminutive, homegrown and extremely talented. Puig was the next La Masia graduate primed to make it big at Camp Nou, so it’s somewhat surprising to now see the 22-year-old in Major League Soccer.

The LA Galaxy announced the signing of Puig on a three-year deal on Thursday with Barcelona so keen to cut their bloated wage bill that they allowed the midfielder to leave for free. “Riqui is a very technical and well-educated player with incredible experiences for his age,” said Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney. “He will fit seamlessly into our group and style of play.”

In any other summer, this would be the standout, headline-grabbing transfer involving an MLS club, and it might still be the most noteworthy of this summer’s activity due to Puig’s age and reputation. This, however, hasn’t been an ordinary summer in MLS. There have been numerous landmark deals struck across the league. In fact, this has been the biggest summer in MLS history.

Puig’s move to the LA Galaxy comes just one month after Los Angeles FC completed the signing of Gareth Bale and just three weeks since Toronto FC landed Federico Bernardeschi. None of these players are typical MLS ‘retirement league’ signings. They are far from washed up. They are not in MLS for one final pay check. They had other options closer to home in traditionally stronger leagues, but chose to sign for an MLS club instead. That says something.

Of course, bigger names have made the move to MLS in the past. David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba,