*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:41, 26 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:19, 17 February 2024 (UTC)
Pedri joined
Las Palmas's youth setup in 2018 from Juventud Laguna.[5][6] On 15 July 2019, aged only 16, he signed a professional four-year contract with the club, being promoted to the first team by manager
Pepe Mel.[7]
Pedri made his professional debut on 18 August 2019, aged only 16, by starting in a 0–1 home loss against
Huesca in the
Segunda División.[8] He scored his first professional goal on 19 September, with the game's only goal in a home victory over
Sporting Gijón and became the youngest goalscorer in Las Palmas history at 16 years, 9 months and 23 days of age.[9][10]
Barcelona
On 2 September 2019,
Barcelona reached an agreement with Las Palmas for the transfer of Pedri, effective as of the following 1 July 2020. The player agreed to a two-year contract with the Catalan club, who paid €5 million for the deal, which would increase as he fulfilled various clauses in his contract.[11] Assigned to the main squad for the
2020–21 season and with the number 16 shirt,[12] Pedri made his debut on 27 September, replacing
Philippe Coutinho in a 4–0 home win against
Villarreal in
La Liga.[13] He received his first start on 17 October in a 0–1
away loss against
Getafe.[14] On 20 October, Pedri scored his first goal for the club on his
UEFA Champions League debut, in a 5–1 win over
Ferencváros in the
group stage, after coming on as a substitute in the 61st minute for
Ansu Fati.[15] On 7 November, in a 5–2
home win over
Real Betis, he scored his first goal in La Liga after an assist from
Sergi Roberto.[16]
On 6 January 2021, he scored a headed goal against
Athletic Bilbao and assisted Barcelona's second goal in a 3–2 win at
San Mamés.[17] On 17 April, Pedri won the first trophy of his senior career after Barcelona beat Athletic 4–0 in the
Copa del Rey final.[18] On 8 May, at 18 years and 164 days, Pedri made his 50th appearance for Barcelona in all competitions when he started in the 0–0 draw against
Atlético Madrid at
Camp Nou, thus becoming the second-youngest player to reach this milestone after
Bojan Krkić, who was 18 years and 3 days when he reached 50 appearances.[19] In the middle of October 2021 Pedri signed a new contract with Barcelona which contained a record €1 billion ($1.57 billion) release clause. [20]
On 22 November 2021, Pedri won the
Golden Boy award presented by Tuttosport for being the best player in European football under the age of 21.[21] The following week he also received the 2021
Kopa Trophy, awarded by France Football, for being the best performing player in world football under the age of 21.[22]
On 13 February 2022, Pedri scored the fastest
Derbi Barceloní goal of the 21st century, clocking in at 75 seconds in a 2–2 draw against
Espanyol.[23][24]
On 14 April 2022, Pedri picked up a hamstring injury during Barcelona's second legged quarter-final
Europa League clash with
Frankfurt, in which they were eliminated. Subsequently, it was announced that Pedri could miss the rest of the season.[25]
On 28 January 2023, Pedri made his 100th appearance in all competitions in a La Liga game against
Girona. He was brought on in the 26th minute for injured
Ousmane Dembélé and scored the only goal in the match.[26]
On 24 May 2021, Pedri was included in Luis Enrique's
24-man squad for
UEFA Euro 2020.[30] On 14 June, he became the youngest player ever to represent Spain at the European Championships, when he started in the 0–0 draw against
Sweden aged 18 years, 6 months and 18 days, breaking the previous record set by
Miguel Tendillo in
Euro 1980.[31] On 28 June, Pedri became the youngest player to feature in a knock-out game at the European Championships when he started in the last-16 against
Croatia, aged 18 years and 215 days; however, he scored an
own goal when goalkeeper
Unai Simón failed to control his long pass back. Spain eventually won match the 5–3 in extra-time.[32][33] He played all but one minute of Spain's six matches, and had an important impact on Spain's run to the semifinal, where they were defeated 4–2 on penalties by eventual winners
Italy following a 1–1 draw after extra-time; during the latter match, he completed 65 of the 66 passes he attempted.[34][35] For his performances, he was voted the
Young Player of the Tournament,[35] and was the only Spanish player in the tournament to be named in the
Team of the Tournament.[36]
2020 Summer Olympics
On 29 June 2021, Pedri was called up to the
Spain squad for the
2020 Summer Olympics.[37] The move to include Pedri in Spain's Olympic squad attracted criticism from Barcelona, with manager
Ronald Koeman branding the decision to call up Pedri for two international tournaments in the same summer as "too much".[38] On 22 July, Pedri played the full 90 minutes in Spain's 0–0 opener against
Egypt. The game was Pedri's 66th of the
season.[39] In the
final, Pedri's 73rd game of the season, Spain suffered a 2–1 loss to
Brazil in extra-time.[40]
2022 FIFA World Cup
Pedri was named in Spain's squad for the
2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[41] He started in all four Spain's matches and were later knocked out by
Morocco in the Round of 16 on
penalties.[42]
Style of play
Pedri usually plays in a free midfield role, which allows him to roam the pitch; he likes to occupy central areas and operate between the lines, although he is also capable of moving out wide and running towards the touchline to create chances for teammates. He even drops deep to the defence to pick up the ball. He normally situates himself on either the left or right flank, or even as a number 8.[43][44][45][46] Indeed, although he initially played as a winger, he was later moved to a
central midfield role, although he is also capable of playing as an
attacking midfielder, as well as in several other
offensive and
midfield roles. He has also occasionally been used as a
defensive midfielder and even as a
centre-forward.
Pedri is considered a quick, intelligent, creative, and hard-working player, known for his excellent technical skills,
dribbling, ball control, passing, awareness, and vision, as well as his ability to manage himself in tight spaces, exploit gaps, and play the final ball or penetrating passes with either foot, making him an effective
playmaker.[47][21][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55] Moreover, he is also highly regarded for his
dribbling skills, his stamina, his calm composure under pressure, and his ability to play with either foot.[43] His role has been a mezzala in the Italian sports media.[56] His slight frame, qualities, position, and playing style have led him to be compared to former Barcelona players such as
Xavi,[48][57]Andrés Iniesta,[58][59][60]Michael Laudrup,[60] and
Lionel Messi.[55][61][62][63]
^"Pedri: "Fui muy feliz en las piscinas de Bajamar"" [Pedri does not forget his origins; "I was very happy in the swimming pools of Bajamar"] (in Spanish). La Laguna TF. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
^Carnerero, Fernando (7 November 2020).
"Todo es más fácil con Messi" [Everything is easier with Messi]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 November 2020.