Pedri at Barcelona: Steal of the Decade

Arguably World's two best midfielder Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernández left behind something indelible in Barcelona's history. For the better part of a decade, these two beauties traveled through Europe and torn their defence  in pieces by their defence splitting passes and beautiful one touches, getting everything they had, but in addition to winning, they did it with quality at every step.

 

Perhaps the biggest caveat in this is that in the end, they had to say goodbye to the club. Their long service to Barça does not seem to be repeated, as their ancestral talents were few and far between. Some hope was regained by the arrival of Arthur Melo, however, interrupted by immorality, low workrate and inconsistency, the Brazilian work at Garnet and Barcelona's Blue was temporary for him.

Now, two years after Iniesta's departure from football Club Barcelona, Barca seems to have found a man to take over in the next decade. That man is none other than the feelings of young people, Pedro González López, or as he is best known for his cooperative spirit, Pedri.

The 18-year-old has taken La Liga by storm, honored by his manager Ronald Koeman and his captain and mentor, Lionel Messi. His arrival at the club, in line with his age and impeccable games so far, seems to have defined Barcelona's path back to European football.

Pedri, a man of old art

For a young adult, Pedri Gonzales shows a degree of maturity and calmness in his game that could be associated with a football player approaching his age. His little frame may be a dead giveaway in his youth, but, contrary to popular opinion, it does nothing to delay him.

 As the great Johan Cruyff described it, football is, in fact, a game played with your mind, feet serve as guides to help you travel long distances. Clement Lenglet exclaimed and acknowledged this feature in his game, saying that although he lacked the building of a top athlete, he, as an individual, thinks faster than others, always one step ahead of his opponents in the game concept.

Every pass he does carries a message, and with someone working on his game like Pedri, the signal remains the only one to keep the ball rolling. He has a clear understanding of what the game needs from him, and this has helped him a lot in building a relationship with Lionel Messi.

Why is that? Yes, in much the same way as Riqui Puig, who seems to have been ostracized, Pedri, although he has never played for Barcelona's respected La Masia, speaks the same football language as Messi. That way, even when full of opposing defenders, naturally he knows where to put him better. His brilliance helped Argentine in the match against Real Valladolid.

 

With this kind of understanding, management, exploitation and the creation of spaces within the part of the opposition, it is not surprising that he has been able to include in almost every game this Catalan season.

Along Messi, Pedri is one of the few players in Barça's football team as if he was watching the game from the top. How can anyone describe his unique ability to move through groups of players, creating a high position.

It is this amazing ability to learn a game and make uninterrupted and flawless decisions that never stops showing what quality he is, earning other's respect, and keeping himself away from his competitors. Needless to say, dedicating yourself miles before many names in the group.

In addition to his unique understanding of his teammates, Pedri also demonstrated an incomprehensible ability to perform, regardless of the position or role assigned to him. They say the jack of all traders is the master of nothing; however, unlike Philippe Coutinho, his versatility does not help with the price of his performance. Whether on the left wing or in any kindergarten area, Pedri is a genius, and  he can fill the vacancies in the team whenever necessary.

Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho, none of them have the kind of understanding they have about Messi, or, apparently, anyone else in the pit of that story. They have a reputation for touching too many single touches, more than one extreme look, and in the system around Messi, their attitudes create unnecessary adherence to play, killing opportunities before they are created.

Who would have thought that an 18-year-old would play at a higher level than a ten-year-old, and at a lower cost 25 times?

It's not uncommon to see an attacking midfielder do what Pedri did, and at a club like Barça, his profile is sent from heaven. Although he is very fragile and has no footballing background, Pedri does all that is expected of him and more, without question.

 

Given the huge success made by this inexpensive player, he begs the question, why does Barcelona spend so much time looking for footballers who are not eligible for the bill, to spend - or even better say they are spending - amazing money when Pedri profile players are found in what is really the peanuts in the current market?

Assuming that Pedri continues to go the way he set out, the 5 million euros Barcelona offered him could be the Steal of the Decade.