From being one of the youngest goalscorers in Las Palmas history to being the golden boy of Camp Nou, Pedri is considered the upcoming sensation of European football. He announced his arrival in world football at just 19 years of age when he was awarded the prestigious Kopa Trophy at the 2021 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Despite missing out on most of their top players, Barcelona was in top form this season, contesting for the league title. Pedri was one such player who was important for Xavi’s style of play. However, the 21-year-old had many injuries throughout his short career. He came back from an injury in the 2nd week of January, until their match against Athletic Club last week, where the boy suffered a hamstring injury sidelining him for another month.
Barcelona’s golden boy Pedri’s injury history explored
The young sensation was unlucky when it came down to injuries in his career. The boy suffered a lot in his 21-year-old career. Pedri was the boy who was considered the midfield general for Barcelona after the departure of Sergio Busquets. His ball control ability, vision, and football IQ were highlights of his game, these attributes at such a young age are what attracted the eyes of Ronald Koeman and Xavi.
Pedri, along with Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, were the three pillars of Barcelona’s midfield and the beam of Ray for the Blaugrana’s redemption arc. Joan Laporta, the president of FC Barcelona, saw the club’s future in the hands of Pedri and Gavi. He eventually announced last year to the world that his future stars are not for sale to any club, despite interest coming in from many big clubs around the world. However, Barcelona’s financial status has not been stable since they bought players like Neymar Jr. and Zlatan Ibrahimović for big amounts. Keeping in mind the injuries, Barcelona might be willing to sell Pedri or Gavi in the coming summer to balance their books.
How did Pedri burn himself out at an early age?
Pedri had a jaw-dropping feat added to his name in the 2020–21 season, where he played a total of 73 games in 11 months. That record is still intact and shocking to the world. Before that season, Pedri had not gone through an injury and had not missed any of his matches. In the summer of 2021, Pedri suffered an injury for the first time in his career and after that injury, he has now suffered a total of eight different injuries in his career and missed 73 important games for Barcelona as well as Spain.
It’s a well-known fact that Pedri played an overwhelming number of games during the 2020 season, which led to concerns about his health and well-being. Despite the Barcelona management and Ronald Koeman’s advice to take some rest, Pedri’s eagerness to play led him to participate in the Tokyo Olympics for Spain, which caused him to suffer from multiple consecutive injuries.
Young players like Pedri must understand the importance of rest and recovery to avoid such circumstances in the future. We hope Pedri makes a full recovery soon and comes back to the field even stronger.
