Barça may have lost 1-0 to AC Milan at the Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco but the person everyone was talking about after the game was Riqui Puig, who posted a simply outstanding performance when he came on for the second half.
The admirers included Milan legend Daniele Massaro, who said after the game that “the appearance of players like Riqui Puig show that the job started by [Johan] Cruyff is being continued. Barça always look for quality youngsters and build them up day by day until they are ready to shine in the first team.”
“I loved Riqui. He plays with so much personality, always with his head up. We could be looking at the new [Andrés] Iniesta!”
Well, the young Catalan, who made his Barça B debut less than half a year ago, is wearing the number eight jersey on the US Tour, the shirt vacated by the great Iniesta at the end of the last season.
A shirt that Puig got to swap with Massaro after the game – although the former needed a little help to know who the former Italian international was!
“My dad told me that Massaro scored two goals against Barça in the Champions League Final in 1994 and that he’s a football legend” said the 18-year-old, who wasn’t even born when Milan won that game in Athens.
“He told me that he liked the way I’d played.”
Football of the past and football of the future – a photo to cherish!
