Pedri’s last half hour in the match against Athletic was, for some, too much for the body. It had been a long time since such an exhibition of midfieldism had been seen at the Camp Nou. Pedri stood up the Estadi with his pipe stepped on Balenziaga, but also with that rope that Laudrup and Iniesta immortalizedfrom which he came out to lean on Frenkie de Jong, and then hit a 60-meter game changer that put Dembélé in front of Luuk de Jong’s 3-0 play.
Pedri, recently renewed by Barça until 2026 with a billionaire clause, is showered with praise from all sides. The words of Luis Enrique after the European Championship (“what he has done I have not seen anyone, not even Andrés Iniesta”), or those of Xavi (“I have not seen any footballer in the world with more talent than he”) are thick. Before them, they had already seen Pepe Mel, the coach who launched him to fame in Las Palmas; or Koeman, who told Bartomeu that the boy was not going anywhere when he arrived in the summer of 2020 and Bayern hovered over his representatives while there was speculation about his loan.
Those accolades are also a responsibility for Pedri. Especially that comparison with Iniestaa player of capital importance in the history of Barça and the National Team who gave more than a decade of glory to the two institutions and raised a car of titles that right now are still science fiction for Pedri, a cradle culé who is living the dream of his life.
Pedri, 80 million market value according to the specialized website Transfermarkt, has become the new leader of the Barça DNA, the guardian of style. His way of doing things on the pitch, as easy as possible, as La Masia midfielders are taught, even though he didn’t step on it, andIt fits with his simplicity in front of the microphones and in his daily life. It is one of his successes. That humility sells well and connects with people, who see it as accessible. Like a nearby hero. A guy capable of doing magic on the pitch without having to go around making propaganda.
Pedro is comfortable. The arrival of Ferran Torres, with whom he maintains a good relationship (and shares an agent), makes his adaptation even easier to the way of life in Barcelona, where he has sea and also to colleagues from his batch. With Eric Garcia or Mingueza he has shared the European Championship and the Olympic Games, which is a unique experience beyond football. With Gavi he also has a special feeling and, to top it off, he knows how to listen to veterans. Piqué, Busquets, Alba or Sergi Roberto are teaching him to know the secrets of the club and its famous surroundings, which he was obviously unaware of upon his arrival. To succeed at Barça, you also have to know what the Month means and what it represents as a club. And it is in it. The presence of Xavi, the idol of any child in childhood, even more so if he was a culé and a midfielder, has also given him extra motivation.
And, above all, Pedri has been helped by the break. After a debut season in which he overdid the Games with the known physical consequences, he knew how to stop in time when he understood that the recovery from his problem in the quadriceps of his left leg was not being the best. The rest, and a specific work in the gym that has made him stronger, has made him a cannon upon his return. A player who has increased his catalog of resources, who uses long movement more, is faster and more powerful, risks more in deep passes, and reaches the opposite goal more. Of course, Pedri does not lose the essence of him. And it’s that ability to pat the ball to partner. When Pedri floats down the field, something good is happening to Barça. The fans are devoted to him.