Barcelona news: Andres Iniesta raves over “extraordinary” Blaugrana star and offers him advice

Andres Iniesta retired in 2024 as one of many best icons of Barcelona and Spanish soccer. Not surprisingly, Barca’s everlasting quantity eight grew to become a reference for the place. And for the previous midfielder, watching Pedri is a delight.

In an opinion article written in Barca journal, Iniesta praised Barcelona’s present quantity eight, who has been pointed to because the Spanish icon’s inheritor in current seasons. To keep away from pointless stress, the 2010 world champion highlighted Pedri’s particular person story initially of his profession.

“I like Pedri, he’s a rare participant. I really like him as a result of he has a narrative behind him, filled with arduous work and overcoming challenges. And, above all, he has his personal story.”

A product of Las Palmas’ youth classes, the midfielder arrived at Camp Nou in 2020 after standing out in La Liga 2. Since then, the 22-year-old Spaniard has turn into an undisputed starter for the Blaugrana and a vital piece within the connection between defence and assault.

Iniesta backs Pedri at Barcelona

Pedri has by no means hidden his idolatry for Iniesta. The midfielder mentioned in an interview in 2021 that when he was a baby, he wished to mimic the previous Barcelona captain’s haircut, nonetheless, he was forbidden by his father, because the star was bald.

Iniesta felt “proud” to function a mannequin for the Spanish jewel. The previous Cules quantity eight remembers that he had Michael Laudrup and Pep Guardiola as his idols, who impressed him to be a greater participant, observing their “gestures, performs and behavior” to construct his personal id.

Furthermore, that’s Iniesta’s recommendation to Pedri: to not be a duplicate of anybody, however slightly embrace his personal genuine model. “Pedri doesn’t have to be me. He must be Pedri, together with his personal traits, constructing his personal path,” argued the 41-year-old icon.

“He’s a participant who modifications the sport, able to creating performs that didn’t exist earlier than. He invents passes that nobody has ever seen, as a result of he possesses unbelievable expertise and, furthermore, he’s turning into more and more necessary, each at Barca and within the Spanish nationwide group,” Iniesta continued.

Why Pedri is totally different

Underneath Hansi Flick’s command, the Spanish midfielder was the one Barcelona participant to start out in all 2025-26 matches. Nevertheless, on the finish of October, Pedri suffered a biceps femoris harm in his left thigh, interrupting his sequence at Barca.

In Barcelona’s squad, no different midfield choice manages to fulfil the quantity eight’s features with the identical mastery. For the previous Blaugrana captain, Pedri stands out in relation to others exactly as a result of he manages to rework the difficult into one thing easy.

“He’s able to offering options when they’re wanted most, he’s altruistic and beneficiant. […] He performs naturally, with simplicity, ease, which is probably the most tough factor to do. You watch him and suppose anybody can try this. However we’re mistaken, as a result of that’s not the case.”

This text was initially printed on Trivela.

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