Riqui Puig

Ricard "Riqui" Puig Martí (Catalan pronunciation: [riˈkaɾt ˈputʃ]; born 13 August 1999) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Barcelona as a central midfielder.[2]

In this Catalan name, the first or paternal surname is Puig and the second or maternal family name is Martí; both are generally joined by the conjunction "i".
Riqui Puig
Puig with Barcelona in 2019
Personal information
Full name Ricard Puig Martí[1]
Date of birth (1999-08-13) 13 August 1999
Place of birth Matadepera, Spain
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Barcelona
Number 12
Youth career
2008–2013 Jàbac Terrassa
2013–2018 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2020 Barcelona B 56 (2)
2018– Barcelona 18 (1)
National team‡
2020– Spain U21 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 06:53, 7 February 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 13 October 2020

Club career

Born in Matadepera, Barcelona, Catalonia, Puig joined FC Barcelona's La Masia in 2013, from UFB Jàbac Terrassa.[3] After progressing through the youth setup, he made his senior debut with the reserves on 24 February 2018, coming on as a second-half substitute for Marcus McGuane in a 1–1 home draw against Gimnàstic Tarragona for the Segunda División championship.[4]

On 11 June 2018, Puig renewed his contract with Barça until 2021, and was promoted to the B-team in Segunda División B.[5] He made his first team debut on 5 December, replacing fellow youth graduate Oriol Busquets in the 55th minute of a 4–1 home routing of Cultural Leonesa, for the season's Copa del Rey; he also assisted Denis Suárez, who scored Barcelona's fourth goal.[6]

Puig made his La Liga debut on 13 April 2019, starting and playing 67 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Huesca.[7] He scored his first goal for Barça B on 14 September, the second in a 2–2 home draw against AE Prat.[8]

On 6 October 2020, Puig was promoted to the first team, being handed the number 12 jersey which was previously worn by Rafinha.[9]

On 13 January 2021, Puig scored the winning penalty in the penalty shootout (Barcelona won 3–2) after being held at 1–1 at the end of extra time by Real Sociedad in the Supercopa de España semi-final.[10] On 24 January, Puig scored his first goal for the first team in a 2–0 away win in La Liga against Elche, when he headed in Barcelona's second goal from a Frenkie de Jong assist.[11]

Personal life

Riqui Puig's father, Carlos, was also a footballer. A left back, he spent his entire career representing Terrassa.[3]

Career statistics
As of 7 February 2021[12]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Copa del Rey Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Barcelona B 2017–18 Segunda División 30—30
2018–19 Segunda División B 320—320
2019–20 212—212
Total 562—562
Barcelona 2018–19 La Liga 2010000030
2019–20 110100000120
2020–21 51303020131
Total 181503020281
Career total 743503020843

    Honours

    Barcelona

    References
    1. "Acta del Partido celebrado el 12 de mayo de 2019, en Barcelona" [Minutes of the Match held on 12 May 2019, in Barcelona] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
    2. Segura, Alejandro (6 December 2018). "Riqui Puig is a 'small madman' who walks freely at the Camp Nou". Marca. Translated by Gillingham, Geoff. Barcelona. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
    3. "Riqui Puig, otro pequeño 'jugón'" [Riqui Puig, another little 'baller'] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
    4. "Debut muy prometedor de Riqui Puig con el Barça B" [Very promising debut of Riqui Puig with Barça B] (in Spanish). Sport. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
    5. "Riqui Puig given professional contract and €100m release clause by Barcelona". Marca. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
    6. "Riqui Puig makes official debut". FC Barcelona. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
    7. "Reserve-heavy Barcelona held at Huesca". Marca. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
    8. "Barça B 2 Prat 2: Cruel end to a great performance". FC Barcelona. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
    9. "Riqui Puig y Araujo ya son jugadores del primer equipo" [Riqui Puig are already first team players] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
    10. Clark, Gill (2021-01-14). "Riqui Puig says he was 'desperate' to take Barcelona penalty". Barca Blaugranes. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
    11. "'It's been a difficult year for me, I needed this goal': Riqui Puig opens up on debut Barca strike". Tribuna. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
    12. Riqui Puig at Soccerway
    13. "Riqui Puig, Ricard Puig Martí - Footballer". www.bdfutbol.com. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
    14. "Chelsea 0–3 Barcelona". UEFA.com. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.