LA Galaxy-bound Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig heard mocking Ferran Torres in leaked audio as the midfielder also reveals he ‘turned down’ offers from Chelsea and one other European giant
- The Barcelona player was once thought to be the next big thing out of the club
- Leaked audio appears to show him mocking January arrival Ferran Torres
- Midfielder goes onto reveal that he turned down offers to leave the club before
Leaked audio has appeared to show Riqui Puig mocking Barcelona’s January arrival Ferran Torres.
Puig, 22, rose through the ranks of Barcelona’s youth teams and eventually into the first team where he was once considered the next best thing to have emerged out of La Masia but his form hit a snag and as such fell by the wayside.
In the leaked audio, first gained by podcaster Joan Fontes, supposedly recorded during Puig’s conversations with people at his driving school in February this year, the midfielder can be heard mocking the recent arrival Torres for supposedly not being fancied by Pep Guardiola.
Riqui Puig appears to be heard mocking Ferran Torres for not being wanted by Pep Guardiola
He appears to have been recorded saying: ‘Ferran Torres? Guardiola didn’t even want him. He played 12 matches last year.’
Torres, in fact, only played six games for Manchester City in the first half of the season before departing for Barcelona in a deal believed to be worth up to £46m. The forward suffered an injury to his metatarsal that ruled him out for what proved to be the final months of his stay in the north West of England.
The Spaniard struggled for game time at City amid a wealth of attacking talent at the Premier League champions.
Torres left Manchester City in January this year for Barcelona after struggling for starts under Guardiola
Upon Torres leaving the club, Guardiola said of the situation: ‘It’s not just Ferran, it’s everyone. If you want to leave because you will be happier in another place, you have to go.
‘The career for a football player is short. If he wants to leave, and the clubs have an agreement, I am happy for him.’
Meanwhile, Puig went on to talk about his situation at Barcelona and his immediate future.
The midfielder told those recording that he had turned down previous offers from Chelsea and AC Milan in favour of remaining at Barcelona.
Puig will leave Barcelona this summer for LA Galaxy after seeing his career falter at the Spanish giants
He is heard saying: ‘I had offers from Chelsea and Milan. I did not leave because I’m fine here at Barcelona. They pay you double the money, but you’re lonely there.’
Puig is on his way to LA Galaxy on a three-year deal.
The America-bound midfielder also touched upon Lionel Messi’s exit to Paris Saint Germain, sympathetically saying that his tearful reaction to leaving the club was understandable given how long he had spent in Catalonia.
‘It is normal that Messi reacts like that when leaving Barcelona. He was at the club since he was 14 years old,’ he said.
