Riqui Puig: Being in Barcelona while my teammates were playing hurt me a lot

Former Barcelona player Riqui Puig opened up about how difficult his final days at the club were while being presented as a new member of the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The midfielder decided to swap the Spanish giants for the MLS side, and he made it clear he didn't agree with the Blaugrana's decision to exclude him from their recent tour of the USA.

"Being in Barcelona while my teammates were here in Los Angeles, playing games, the truth is that it hurt me a lot," said Puig.

"It was a complicated situation. I also had four teammates with me who weren't doing well either, which makes it even worse being in Barcelona with just a physical trainer.

"Sometimes you have to make decisions. They took this one, I don't agree with them, but that's fine."

The Spanish midfielder explained the reasons behind his decision to move to MLS, with Galaxy coach Greg Vanney playing a key role.

"It was a complicated decision, because I've been at Barcelona for seven years, but I wasn't playing and I needed to feel important," said Puig.

"But the time came to make the decision. I had offers from Europe, but when I got the offer from the Galaxy, the first thing I did was talk to the coach to see if he could give me confidence.

"Greg gave me just enough and I decided to come here, to come to Los Angeles, this beautiful city and this great club.

"It's one of the decisions I'm most proud to have made as a player, and the truth is that I'm really surprised by the club and the players.

"I hope to be able to play on Friday to see what the league is like. It was a difficult decision, but Greg helped me to make it and to come here.

"The goal is to finish as high as possible and compete given the good vibe in the locker room. We have pressure, but that's a positive too.

"People didn't understand why I came to MLS when I was so young. I think it's a very competitive league, where all the teams are at a similar level.

"This could make the league one of the best in the world in the future."