It was more than 22 years since Barcelona had to risk its life from eleven meters.
In that Cup final against Mallorca,
Hesp
was huge under the sticks and
Reiziger
scored the decisive goal.
In the semifinals of the Super Cup in Córdoba, it was time to choose new candidates for heroes.
One had to be
Ter Stegen
, prodigious.
What was no longer so clear was who could take on executing responsibilities in an anemic team and pushed to the limit by the Royal Society.
There the unexpected figure of
Riqui Puig
emerged
: «I shot the fifth!».
Ronald Koeman
, paper in hand, had been recruiting his pitchers.
De Jong
would take care of the first.
He threw the stick.
Dembélé
and
Pjanic
, successful, would be responsible for the second and third.
Griezmann
, unable to flee from the demons that await him at the penalty spot, preferred to avoid responsibility for the last shot.
In the league tie against Eibar, the Frenchman had already backed down so that it was
Braithwaite
who threw and missed.
But who then was going to take charge of the final shot in a team in which its greatest specialist,
Messi
, was injured?
Riqui Puig was the one who raised his hand.
And Koeman, the same coach who had spent half a season marginalizing the 21-year-old youth squad in his rosters, did not hesitate to hand over his luck.
Riqui was right and began to kiss that shield from which he has insistently refused to part.
«When I caught the ball I already knew I was going inside.
He had to shoot hard.
With conviction.
Believing in me.
Riqui knew what he was talking about.
His small figure, apparently delicate and the object of all kinds of outrages during his time in Second B, has been questioned since Koeman took over the bench.
The low confidence of the Dutchman contrasted with the continuous opportunities that the coach was offering to the rest of the young people of the squad.
In fact, Koeman tried to get rid of Riqui already in summer, when he excluded him from the Joan Gamper trophy call.
The footballer, well advised by his family, who has no communication agents or spokesmen and who manages his social networks himself, then resisted the onslaught.
He also did it when the coach got used to insinuating in the press room that if he did not have opportunities it was because he did not earn them in training, thus allowing the coach to grow the fog around a soccer player who trains and plays with the conviction of not be inferior to anyone.
And whose signature football, explosive and aesthetic between the lines, still provokes heated debates in the environment.
Parcheesi in bathrobe
Around Riqui all kinds of legends grew, the most repeated an alleged grudge from Messi.
Riqui's relationship with both the old guard and the new breed, however, is good.
And this is confirmed by sources from the wardrobe.
They are common, yes, jokes for their elegant ways.
Something that is sometimes out of place in an industry where tattoos are listed, hairstyles are copied, and clothing is questioned.
Riqui ended the night in Córdoba playing Parcheesi in a bathrobe.
Riqui has only played three times in this league.
Three minutes into the defeat in Getafe on October 17.
One minute into the home draw against Eibar on December 29.
And 17 in the placid win in Granada on January 9.
Their opportunities in the Champions League are summarized in 74 minutes (Dynamo Kiev, Ferencvaros and Juventus).
He has never started with Koeman, who a week ago, and before rushing the transfer to Getafe de
Aleñá
, one of Riqui's best friends in the dugout, encouraged players who were not playing to seek life.
But Riqui, with a clause of 100 million and who saw how the club extended him two more seasons with a contract that ended on June 30, 2021 thanks to the activation of one of its clauses, never wanted to know anything about exile.
Such was his determination that it was said that when he had a chance he would seize it.
"I never lost my smile," Riqui said exultantly after Koeman offered him the dispute for an extension in which the youth squad tried to keep his team standing.
In his 30 minutes into play, he hit 24 of his 26 passes, won four individual duels, completed three dribbles, and finally caught the redeeming goal.
"I'm happy.
Even if I don't play, things are going very well for me.
I have family.
I have health.
I can not complain about anything.
If Koeman will give me minutes, I will appreciate it.
I will take advantage of it.
If not, I'll keep working.
It took me so long to get here that now I'm not going to throw in the towel.
And in those it continues.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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