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Most 18-year-olds are not sure what to do with their lives, but Pedri has known what he wants to do for a long time and has already fulfilled his dream of playing for Barcelona.
The Canarian playmaker has been one of Barcelona’s most exciting players in what is his debut season since he moved from Las Palmas. In fact, the last few weeks have seen him bond tremendously well with Lionel Messi. This is a special Christmas for Pedri.
“I was not born and I was already a Barcelona fan,” Pedri said just a month ago when he was celebrating his 18th birthday.
He grew up admiring Barcelona as he dreamed of one day playing like Andrés Iniesta. Now, the young blaugrana will admire Pedri. Since making his debut at 17 against Villarreal on September 27, he has continued to grow and is now one of the first names on Ronald Koeman’s team sheet.
So far, Pedri has played 19 games for Barcelona, 12 of them as a starter, and has scored two goals: one in the Champions League against Ferencvaros and another in LaLiga Santander against Real Betis. Given that he was playing in the Spanish top flight last season and is still 18 years old, his start in Catalonia has been remarkable.
“He is the player who has surprised me the most,” Koeman said of Pedri.
“He’s participating in almost every game. He’s very smart. It’s a great thing that he’s there. [in the team] at his age.
“I am very happy with what he is doing, because if he is playing it is because he deserves it. It’s fantastic.
“He has shown me that he is very good and that he can play for a team like Barcelona.”
As noted, the connection between Pedri and Messi has become one of Barcelona’s deadliest weapons in recent weeks. The two players are on the same page, and it is remarkable how the 33-year-old looks for Pedri, who cost six million euros, although that fee could amount to 22 million euros depending on the accessories. However, it seems like a bargain.
Barcelona assured the arrival of Pedri in the summer of 2019, since they saw him as a star of the future. The Catalan club beat players like Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Real Betis, among others, to his signature. In fact, these same clubs were also interested in taking the midfielder on loan before the 2020/21 season, but Barcelona did not want to lose him, neither on loan nor permanently.
“Pedri will continue with us, right now he is non-transferable,” then-Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said last August.
“We have received offers for him of more than double what we paid.”
However, despite the terrible financial situation of the Catalan club, they did not want to let their young star go. And if his performances in a Barcelona jersey in 2020 are something to go by, one can only imagine what he could do in 2021.
Barcelona are determined to reform their squad and see Pedri as a player around whom they want to build. He has a contract until 2022, but the Blaugrana have the option of unilaterally extending it for two more years. This has been Pedri’s best Christmas yet, but next year could be even better.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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