Barcelona midfielder Pedri is now the idol of Barcelona and with the possible exception of Robert Lewandowski, perhaps their best player. However in Spain it has been much commented on that he had a trial at Real Madrid before joining the Blaugrana, but Los Blancos did not offer him a deal.
It has become something of a false narrative in Spain that Pedri consistently speaks about that trial with Real Madrid – he has commented on it on multiple occasions, but as a result of constantly being asked about it by the press.
The most recent edition of this took place in El Pais, who interviewed Pedri. Mundo Deportivo carried his words, as he was asked whether he would of signed for Real Madrid if they had offered him a contract after his trial.
“I think so. My ambition was to make my way as a professional footballer and it would have been very difficult to reject an offer from one of the great clubs in the history of this sport.”
It seems a logical answer and football is littered with instances of young players signing for clubs that rival the one they support. Famously, Jamie Carragher was an Everton fan but spent his entire career at Liverpool.
However Pedri seemed more than content with the way things had turned out.
“That train passed and two years later I ended up signing for the team of my dreams. That of my family and that of my first football idol, Andres Iniesta. I’ve always said it, I’ve been a Barça player since I was a child.”
Wearing the number 8, there are certainly similarities between the two. Spanish football journalist Graham Hunter once termed Iniesta as ‘The Solutions Man’ in his book on Barcelona’s side under Pep Guardiola and more often than not, Pedri is the one the current team looks to in order to solve problems.
Id rather have any of our young midfielders.
FedEx >>> Pedri