How Pedri harnessed his subtle genius to control Barcelona’s engine room

There is a certain type of footballer that coaches love — the veritable teacher’s pet. 

This player often, but not always, operates in midfield and serves as the coach’s eyes on the pitch, seeing the game as the manager envisions it. As a result, this is the person best suited to interpreting the coaching vision and game model in real time — an on-field coach as it were.

A rare teacher’s pet

Even among teacher’s pets, Pedri stands out. Coaches can’t stop gushing about him.

Consider what former Barcelona manager Xavi said of him: “Pedri will change the face of the team. He’s a player that makes us feel emotional and excites us. I would like to stress the way he understands football. He doesn’t lose the ball. He reminds me a lot of [Andres] Iniesta, he makes the difference, he’s wonderful. I haven’t seen many talents like him.”

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, when asked about the height of Pedri’s ceiling, refused to define limits, instead saying, “Pedri had to find himself, we don’t know what his best version is because he’s so good, he is infinite”. Current Barcelona manager Hansi Flick recently added to this theme, refusing to compare him to anybody else “because he is incomparable”.

Pedri arrived in professional football astonishingly complete. The youngest goal-scorer in Las Palmas history at 16 years, 9 months and 23 days, he secured a move from the Canary Islands to Barcelona, quickly establishing himself in the midfield. He made his 50th appearance for the Spanish heavyweight when he was just 18, having looked completely at ease collaborating with Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi on the pitch.

You only need to watch Pedri in action to see why he evokes awe even among his peers. He excels in all phases. When he is anywhere near his best, the game flows through him. 

Pedri can play in advanced midfield, operating inside the opposition’s defensive block — his close control ensures the ball sticks to his feet, allowing him to turn in cramped spaces between the lines, drive forward, combine with teammates and find runners with the killer pass. He can also play deeper, outside the opposition’s defensive block, inviting pressure. His elusive press-resistance makes him a nightmare to control, for he can break defensive lines with dribbling, one-two give-and-gos as well as more ambitious progressive passes, off either foot.

If it weren’t for injury, Pedri would likely have featured in Ballon d’Or conversations over the last three years. But the 22-year-old, who carried a heavy workload as a teenager, has struggled to stay on the pitch. According to transfermarkt.com, Pedri missed 26 games in 2021, 15 in 2022, 35 in 2023 and 11 in 2024. Most of the layoffs have been caused by muscular problems, recurrent hamstring injuries giving him the most grief. 

Overcoming injury struggles

Indeed, there was a very real fear that the world would get no more than glimpses of Pedri’s genius, that a career of ‘infinite’ potential would be crippled. But fortunately for the player and football fans everywhere, he has seemingly turned a corner. He has missed just three games (two for Spain and one for Barcelona) in 2024-25. Improved fitness and the rhythm of playing games have helped him hit top form as an essential part of Flick’s engine room.

“I haven’t felt like this for a long time, I’ve often wanted to be like this,” Pedri told the club’s official media channel, Barca One. “The people who came to work in the gym have helped me a lot with what is best for my body. We’ve found the right formula with the physios and trainers. I think I’ve improved in work, in nutrition.

“When you relapse into injuries, it is very difficult because you don’t know what is wrong in your life. When you enter a loop like this it is difficult to get out, but I am getting there. I have learned a lot from the process. I am happy to feel good physically and to have continuity.”

Pedri is also profiting from a sense of stability under Flick. The young midfielder’s versatility has sometimes worked against him. With uncertainty over what his best position is, managers have used him as a No. 10 and a No. 8; while he has typically handled these changes in role with aplomb, a more settled position is helping him express his talent to its fullest.

Flick has used Pedri deeper, most often in a double pivot, which allows him to both orchestrate play and pick his moments to affect the game in the final third. “I also like playing further back, with more contact with the ball, I feel very comfortable there,” he said. “For a player, confidence is very important and Flick transmits that to you. He trusts you so that you can do what you know how to do. Above all, he’s got very clear ideas.”

The numbers show that Pedri is putting together an uninterrupted season of considerable influence from midfield. He leads LaLiga in overall passes and recoveries, and averages almost four shot-creating actions (offensive actions that lead to a shot on goal) per game. He also has scored four goals and supplied three assists from 22 appearances. 

In his sights: Pedri has the opportunity to put his name alongside the greatest midfielders in Barcelona’s history, which includes Cruyff, Guardiola, Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. | Photo credit: Getty Images

But Pedri isn’t focused on his numbers. “I don’t pay attention to any statistical indicators,” he said after last weekend’s 4-1 win over Sevilla. “I prefer it when the team wins games. So this is the best campaign at Barca [for me], along with the first, but it has to be reflected in titles.”

Barcelona — two points off leader Real Madrid in LaLiga and in the round-of-16 in the Champions League — will hope to stay in contention for both trophies when the business end of the season approaches, but it has managed to complete a smart bit of business in the winter.

In January, Barcelona extended Pedri’s contract to June 2030, securing his prime years. The club hasn’t covered itself in glory when it comes to transfers and contracts this season — president Joan Laporta has been in the spotlight over the handling of the Dani Olmo debacle, after LaLiga ruled the club had failed to register summer signings Olmo and Pau Victor in time — but it made the headlines for the right reasons on this occasion.

What the future holds

Pedri now has the opportunity to cement his legacy at Barcelona, putting his name alongside the greatest midfielders in the club’s history, which includes Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola, Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. Having already worn the captain’s armband, he is also looking forward to playing a leadership role in Barcelona’s young, richly talented squad.

“There are a lot of young players, but for the time I’ve been here, I can be one of the veterans, not by age, but I do feel that I have weight in the dressing room, that I’m important,” said Pedri. “I think the future will be good, there is a good team. Playing like this we can win titles, we won one [this season], the Super Cup, we are alive in all of them. Why not go for them all?”