Four Four Two - UK (2021-12)

46 December 2021 FourFourTwo

PEDRI IS BLESSED WITH

REMARKABLE VISIOn,

PASSInG PRECISIOn AnD

TECHnICAL SKILLS. HE

COULD DEFInE An ERA

10

PEDRI

Age 18 Club Barcelona

Nationality Spanish

Position Central midfielder

THE LOWDOWN Barcelona had very high

hopes for Pedri when they signed him for

€5m just a few weeks into the 2019-20

campaign, following a string of sensational

displays for Segunda Division Las Palmas. But

nobody would have foreseen his astonishing

progress since rocking up at the Camp Nou

that September. Pedri was slated to play

in the reserves but became key inside

a fortnight amid Barça’s struggles,

leading the Blaugrana midfield and

earning immediate comparisons to

Andres Iniesta. Incredibly, the teen

took part in 50 matches across all

competitions in his first season, then

proved vital for Spain on two counts:

first at Euro 2020, before jetting to

Japan to help La Roja’s under-23s reach

the Olympics final. It’s easy to see why

coaches want to build teams around him

• the Canary Islander is blessed with
  remarkable vision, passing precision and
  technical skills. He could define an era.
  DID YOU KNOW? Pedri had a trial at Real
  Madrid when he was 16, but it bizarrely
  took place in a heavy blizzard – and he
  failed to impress. Snow joke.
  BEST MOMENT Featuring in the team
  of the tournament at a European
  Words Championship aged 18? Not bad.

Michael Yokhin

22 FOR

2022