Having made a resounding impact on the Barca unit in his first professional season with the club, 18-year-old Pedri has been awarded the Golden Boy Award for 2021. The midfielder became the second Barcelona player since the inception of this award to win it, the first one being Lionel Messi.
The Spaniard won the award by a resounding margin. He gained 318 points in the grading system, surpassing Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham (119), which is the highest gap between the winner and runner in recent years.
Having taken his initial steps with Las Palmas, the youngster made his first professional appearance in 2019. He made 37 appearances for the second division Spanish club across all competitions, scoring four times. His robustness and craftiness attracted the Catalan giants to make a move for him, and made a 5 million euro move to the Blaugrana on a two-year deal.
Since making his Barcelona debut in September 2020, Pedri has impressed everyone with his work rate and featured in more games than any of the Barcelona players.
He played over 60 times since the start of last season for club and country and played a crucial role in Spain’s Euro 2020 run that saw them reach the semifinals. He also became the youngest to represent Spain in the European Championship. Pedri was also present in Spain’s Olympics squad, where they lost in the final to Brazil and returned home with a silver medal.
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In a bid to secure his services in the long run, Barcelona lured him with a new contract that will keep him in the club until 2026. He has a release clause of 1 billion euros, an attempt to keep away any possible suitors in the future.
At such a young age, experts are already drawing comparisons to Xavi Hernandez and Andreas Iniesta, the two primetime midfield giants of the club in their most successful era. His ability to make way through tight spaces with quick passing and silky touches are making him a very attractive proposition for the club, and is expected to play a crucial role under new manager Xavi.
