Pedri is breaking many barriers at the age of 18. The player, still in youth age, has played his first year in the elite, nothing more and nothing less than with FC Barcelona, which has earned him to be an absolute international, and also to be a starter with the selection in the Eurocup.
Pedri is a very technical player, with an exceptional vision of the game and an exquisite ball handling. These qualities have made all Xavi and Iniesta fans, players whom the canary resembles in his game. The comparisons are often odious, but the truth is that there have been few irruptions like Pedri’s, especially in Spanish football.
Pedri / David Ramos / Getty Images
At the level of numbers, it is true that Pedri is having more shares than Xavi and Iniesta at his age. Pedri has made his debut with Barça at the age of 17 and has played 37 La Liga games, 7 in the Champions League and 8 in the Copa del Rey, veteran numbers. In addition, with the national team he has already gone to the Eurocup where he is a starter and has played every minute in the 4 games that have been played.
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Xavi, for example, debuted at 18 years old, and even so, that season he did not enjoy the title. He participated in 17 La Liga games, 6 in the Champions League and 3 in the Copa del Rey. In addition, it was not until he turned 22 that he was called up for a great national team tournament.
For his part, Iniesta also made his debut at 18, and only played 6 La Liga matches and 3 Champions League matches that season. It was not until he was 20 years old that he began to have regularity within the team, and at 21 he went to his first major tournament, the 2006 World Cup.
Pedri / David Ramos / Getty Images
These numbers do not mean that some are better or worse, but it is indicative that Pedri can be as good as Xavi and Iniesta, although in the cases of the Blaugrana legends, they affect many other factors in their statistics. Pedri has been fortunate that Koeman and Luis Enrique have trusted him despite his youth, in the case of Xavi for example, we saw how as the coaches passed he was discussed and he even considered leaving.
Pedri has a mirror in which to look at himself, Iniesta and Xavi broke many barriers in football, but he must follow his own path and show his worth. In this European Championship he is going from less to more and it will surely make him grow even more as a player.