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Multiple Ballon d’Or nominee Pedri knows what it takes to win a major tournament with your country. Two years ago, the 23-year-old sensation played a pivotal role in Spain’s Euro triumph until injury cruelly ruled him out of the latter stages.
He knows the importance of being singularly focused on the job at hand, with no unwelcome distractions.
So, with a World Cup looming, the midfielder felt it necessary this week to put an end to persistent speculation regarding his future when speaking to Televisión Canaria, a regional network in the Canary Islands.
When asked about his long-term aspirations, the player spoke with a quiet, determined authority, saying:
"Playing for Barça is the best there is. It’s what I dreamed of as a child, and I’m not going to change it now for anything"
If this was not adamant enough, ending tentative rumours of a move to Manchester City this summer, Pedri then reflected on his umbilical connection to the club, recalling how his grandfather founded a Barcelona supporter’s club, an institution later passed on to his father.
"I wish he was still alive and living everything that his grandson is living," he poignantly shared.
The heavy implication here is that Blaugrana is in his blood, going on to describe his day-to-day involvement with the club as a ‘dream come true’.
Elaborating on this, Pedri then revealed that he still comes in for treatment even on days off.
Intriguingly, for a youngster venerated widely for his rare abilities, the star then went on to candidly admit that he was not yet the finished article, saying of his stats since breaking into the Barca first team aged just 18:
"I think I need to improve my number of goals and assists to help the team in that way. I say it every year; I know I have to do it”
For the record, he has accrued 61 goal involvements in 246 appearances for the blue and red, a tally set to steadily rise as he plays out the rest of his career at Camp Nou.
