Ricard Puig Martí Bio
Ricard “Riqui” Puig Martí is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. Born on 13 August 1999 in Matadepera, Spain, Puig joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy in 2013 and rose through the Catalan club’s youth ranks before reaching the senior setup. After limited opportunities with Barcelona’s first team, he transferred to LA Galaxy on 4 August 2022, where he has served as a creative playmaker in the squad.
Standing 1.69 meters tall, Puig is known for his vision, passing range, and ability to dictate the tempo of matches from central midfield. He wears the number 10 shirt for the Galaxy and has been a central figure in the team’s recent trophy-winning campaign.
Early Life and Background
Ricard Puig Martí was born on 13 August 1999 in Matadepera, a small town in the Vallès Occidental comarca near Barcelona, Catalonia. He grew up in a family with a clear connection to football, which helped shape his early interest in the sport. His father, Carlos Puig, was a left-back who spent his entire playing career at Terrassa, giving the young Ricard an everyday view of the professional game.
Puig began his organized football journey with local youth side UFB Jàbac Terrassa, where he played between 2008 and 2013. During those formative years, he developed the technical base that would later define his style as a deep-lying passer and ball-progressing midfielder. His performances in the Terrassa area drew attention from scouts at one of Spain’s most respected academies.
Path to Professional Soccer
In 2013, at the age of 14, Puig was signed by Barcelona and entered the famed La Masia academy. He progressed steadily through the cadet, juvenile, and youth categories, learning the possession-based philosophy that has long characterized the club’s playing identity. Coaches at La Masia praised his composure on the ball, his reading of the game, and his willingness to take responsibility in tight spaces.
By 2018, Puig was considered one of the more promising midfield talents in Barcelona’s pipeline. His progress through the youth ranks earned him a promotion to the reserve side, Barcelona B, and later a place in first-team training under the senior staff. His trajectory from a Terrassa-area youth player to a first-team shirt at Camp Nou reflected years of steady development within the Catalan football system.
Ricard Puig Martí Career
Early Career (2018–2019)
Puig made his senior debut on 24 February 2018, entering as a second-half substitute for Marcus McGuane in a 1–1 home draw against Gimnàstic Tarragona in the Segunda División. Shortly after, on 11 June 2018, he renewed his contract with Barcelona and was promoted to the B-team competing in the Segunda División B. He made his first-team debut on 5 December 2018, replacing Oriol Busquets in the 55th minute of a 4–1 Copa del Rey win over Cultural Leonesa and assisting Denis Suárez for Barcelona’s fourth goal.
His La Liga debut arrived on 13 April 2019, when he started and played 67 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Huesca. He also opened his scoring account for Barcelona B on 14 September 2019, netting the second goal in a 2–2 home draw against AE Prat. Those appearances confirmed his transition from academy prospect to first-team contributor.
Barcelona Breakthrough (2019–2022)
On 6 October 2020, Puig was promoted to the Barcelona first team and handed the number 12 jersey previously worn by Rafinha. His first goal for the senior side came on 24 January 2021, when he headed in Frenkie de Jong’s assist during a 2–0 La Liga win at Elche. Earlier that month, on 13 January 2021, he had scored the decisive penalty in a 3–2 shootout win over Real Sociedad in the Supercopa de España semi-final, sending Barcelona to the final.
Despite those highlights, consistent minutes at Camp Nou proved difficult to secure. Puig featured in 57 La Liga matches across his time in the first team, often used as a rotational option rather than a regular starter. His contract ran until 2022, after which he departed on a free transfer.
LA Galaxy Era (2022–Present)
On 4 August 2022, Puig joined Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy on a free transfer, signing a 3.5-year contract. He debuted on 19 August as a substitute in a 3–3 draw with Seattle Sounders FC, and within weeks he netted his first MLS goal on 31 August, a long-range strike in the 89th minute of a 2–2 draw against Toronto FC. Operating as the team’s primary playmaker, he averaged more than 75 passes per 90 minutes at a high completion rate, helping the Galaxy reach the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs, where they were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals.
On 31 May 2024, Puig signed a new contract keeping him at the Galaxy through 2027. During the 2024 Western Conference final against Seattle Sounders on 30 November, he suffered an ACL rupture but still produced an assist in a 1–0 win that sent the Galaxy to MLS Cup. Los Angeles went on to beat the New York Red Bulls 2–1 to lift the trophy. The injury kept him out of the 2025 season, and in January 2026 he underwent a second knee surgery in Barcelona, ruling him out of the 2026 campaign while he continues rehabilitation.
Driving Style and Strengths
Puig is a classic La Masia product, comfortable receiving the ball between the lines and threading passes that break defensive lines. He directs play with a calm tempo, mixes short combinations with line-breaking diagonals, and contributes goals from late arriving runs into the box. Comparisons to Andrés Iniesta have followed him since his academy days, reflecting his preference for control, geometry, and possession-based football.
Notable Events and Milestones
Signature moments include his Supercopa de España penalty winner over Real Sociedad in January 2021, his first-team debut in the 2018 Copa del Rey, and his role in the Galaxy’s 2024 MLS Cup triumph. His assist during the 2024 Western Conference final, delivered while playing through an ACL injury, stands as one of the most dramatic individual contributions of his career so far.
Ricard Puig Martí Career Wins
Puig’s trophy cabinet includes team honours from his time at Barcelona and a major MLS title with the Galaxy. The following sections summarize the confirmed achievements that have shaped his senior career.
Barcelona Highlights
With Barcelona’s first team, Puig was part of the squad that reached the 2020–21 Supercopa de España final after his decisive penalty against Real Sociedad. He also won domestic youth honours with Barcelona’s cadet and juvenile sides during his progression through La Masia.
LA Galaxy Highlights
Puig played a central role in the LA Galaxy’s 2024 MLS Cup victory, the club’s first league title since 2014. Although his 2024 campaign ended with an ACL injury during the Western Conference final, his earlier contributions and his assist in that decisive match helped power the Galaxy to the championship.
Ricard Puig Martí Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Football runs in the Puig family. His father, Carlos Puig, was a professional left-back whose entire playing career was spent at Terrassa, a historic club in the Catalan lower divisions. Watching his father’s career gave Ricard an early understanding of the demands and routines of professional football, which helped guide his own path through local youth teams and into the ranks at La Masia.
Personal Life
Puig keeps much of his personal life private, and verified public details about his marital status, partner, or children are not available. Outside football, he has pursued business interests, including participation in April 2023 in a reported 20 million US dollar investment fund for the free-to-play football video game Goals.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was a difficult year for Puig and the LA Galaxy. Still recovering from the ACL rupture he suffered during the 2024 Western Conference final, the Spanish midfielder did not make a competitive appearance for the club. The Galaxy struggled to replace his creative output in central midfield and ultimately missed the playoffs, ending their reign as MLS Cup champions earlier than expected.
Early in the calendar year, Puig travelled to Barcelona to undergo a second knee surgery in January 2026, a step designed to support a fuller long-term recovery. Club officials confirmed that he is scheduled to miss the entire 2026 season while he continues rehabilitation. The Galaxy have framed his return as a long-term project, with the medical and coaching staffs focused on ensuring he can resume playing at his previous level.
Looking beyond 2025, Puig’s contract with the Galaxy runs through the end of 2027, and both parties have publicly expressed a desire for him to return to the pitch. When he does come back, the expectation is that he will once again be the team’s primary playmaker, tasked with dictating tempo and providing the kind of line-breaking passes that defined his best performances in 2023 and 2024.