Eighteen-year-old reached the milestone while on international duty with the Spain Olympic Football team.
37 in LaLiga, six in Copa del Rey, two in Supercopa de Espana, seven in UEFA Champions League, and 20 for Spain across various competitions: for an eighteen-year-old, Pedri has played a lot of football this season.
The teenager played his 72nd match of the 2020/21 campaign against Japan on Tuesday, matching Bruno Fernandes’ record in the process. Like Pedri, the Manchester United star was undroppable for both club and country. Both players ended up playing a game almost every five days over the last year.
Barcelona paid Las Palmas 5 million euros upfront to sign Pedri ahead of the 2020/21 season. Still 17 at the time of his arrival, the youngster immediately became an important fixture of Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona team. Over the next ten months, the Spaniard racked up good performances as the Blaugrana challenged for the LaLiga title and won the Supercopa de Espana.
Pedri’s good form led to a call-up to the national team, and he was included in the Spain squad for the European championships. At the championships, Pedri started all of Spain’s games as they reached the semi-final, only to be eliminated by eventual champions Italy.
Nonetheless, the midfielder was crowned the competition’s best young player based on his performance. He was included in Spain’s squad for the Olympics shortly after.
Spain will compete against Brazil for the gold medal, giving Pedri a chance to break Fernandes’ record, while becoming an Olympic champion – an honor shared by few others. La Roja beat hosts Japan in the semi-final to secure their berth in the final, courtesy of an extra-time goal by Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio.
Brazil needed extra time as well, and subsequently, penalties to beat Mexico in the first semi-final. The Selecao beat their opponents 4-1 in the shootout, following a goalless 120 minutes.
Brazil will meet Spain in the final on August 7, one day after Japan play Mexico in the bronze medal match.
