Spain midfielder Pedri has already established himself among the finest players in world football at just 23 years old, but those who first witnessed his talent as a teenager insist his rise was never a surprise.
Ahead of his second FIFA World Cup, the Barcelona star’s extraordinary journey from street football in Tenerife to the pinnacle of the global game has been revisited by former coaches and teammates who helped shape his early career.
Pedri’s former coach at Las Palmas, Pepe Mel, revealed to FIFA that the midfielder’s brilliance was immediately obvious when he first arrived at the club’s academy setup.
“There was never any doubt he had a brilliant future ahead of him,” Mel said. “We were told about a boy with enormous potential who had already outgrown every team he had played for.”
Born in the small town of Tegueste on the island of Tenerife, Pedri developed his footballing instincts on the streets while idolising Barcelona and Spain legend Andres Iniesta. He first played for local club Tegueste before spells with Juventud Laguna and eventually Las Palmas, where he quickly emerged as one of the brightest talents in the Canary Islands.
Mel recalled the excitement surrounding the youngster before handing him an opportunity with the senior side during the 2019/20 pre-season.
“We watched him and said, ‘If he can do this professionally, then we have a genius on our hands,’” Mel explained.
That belief was shared by Las Palmas captain Aythami Artiles, who formed a close bond with the teenager from the moment he joined first-team training at the age of 16.
“When I arrived, he was already there,” Aythami remembered. “I introduced him to everyone and showed him around the dressing room.”
Because Pedri was too young to drive, Aythami often picked him up from the academy residence on the way to training. The veteran defender affectionately nicknamed him “enano” – meaning “little one” – and described him almost like family.
“He became like a son to me,” Aythami said.
Despite his age, Pedri’s quality on the pitch immediately stunned senior professionals.
“We were asking ourselves just where he had come from,” Aythami said. “He had everything: he could control the ball with either foot, turn in every direction, shoot, switch play and protect the ball. Nobody could get it off him.”
“He was different. At 16, he was already doing the things he does now.”
Mel admitted there were concerns within the club about promoting the teenager too quickly, but the experienced coach had complete confidence in his talent.
“One day I told the president, ‘This kid is going to be a millionaire and he still doesn’t know it,’” Mel revealed.
Pedri made his professional debut for Las Palmas in Spain’s second division in August 2019 and quickly justified the growing hype. Just weeks later, Barcelona secured his signature for a reported €5 million plus add-ons, despite the midfielder having played only three senior matches.
Aythami recalled how little the move changed the teenager’s personality.
“You looked at him and it was as if nothing had changed,” he said. “If all of that had happened to me at 16, I would have run back to my village to shout it from the rooftops.”
One of the defining moments of Pedri’s breakthrough season came before a match against Sporting Gijon after Las Palmas had failed to win their opening five league matches.
“In the car he told me: ‘Relax, today I’m going to score and we’re going to win,’” Aythami recalled.
Pedri delivered exactly that, scoring the winning goal from outside the box in a 1-0 victory.
“He’s got aura,” Aythami added.
Since arriving at Barcelona in 2020, Pedri has become a central figure for both club and country. He has already made more than 240 appearances for the Catalan giants and flourished under coaches Ronald Koeman, Xavi Hernandez and Hansi Flick.
His first season at Camp Nou brought 52 appearances along with the UEFA EURO Young Player award and the prestigious Golden Boy trophy.
Barcelona legend Xavi once described him as “the best footballer in the world” in terms of pure talent and compared him to Iniesta, the player Pedri grew up admiring.
The connection with Barcelona runs deep within Pedri’s family. His grandfather founded a Barcelona supporters’ club in Tenerife in 1994, years before Pedri was born, while his father later became its president.
Now one of Spain’s biggest hopes ahead of the FIFA World Cup, Pedri continues to inspire those who watched his journey from the beginning.
Aythami still follows every moment of the midfielder’s career with pride.
“Many times, if he gets substituted, I stop watching the game,” he said. “And on the rare occasion he fumbles a pass, I feel it as badly as if I’d done it myself.”
The former defender now dreams of seeing the boy he once drove to training become a world champion with Spain.
Source: FIFA
