Pedro González López (born November 25, 2002), widely known as Pedri, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for FC Barcelona in Spain’s Primera División. He is also a vital international player for the Spanish national football team. Considered one of the best midfielders in the world, Pedri is renowned for his exceptional passing, visionary play, and superb ball retention.
Early Life
Born in Bajamar, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Pedri‘s family moved to Tegueste, a nearby village, when he was three years old.
Club Career
Early Beginnings
Pedri started his youth career at U.D. Tegueste, his hometown club. In 2015, while playing in his second year as an infantil, he joined Juventud Laguna. In February 2018, he had a trial with Real Madrid, although a transfer did not materialize. Three months later, in May 2018, he was scouted by U.D. Las Palmas, who incorporated him into their youth team.
U.D. Las Palmas
After a year in the youth ranks, in the summer of 2019, the club granted him a professional contract and included him in the first team’s preseason. He was a standout performer during this period, leading to his permanent integration into the squad with the number 28 jersey. He made his professional debut on August 18, 2019, at just 16 years old, in a 0-1 defeat against S.D. Huesca on the opening league matchday.
On September 19, Pedri became the youngest player to score for U.D. Las Palmas in a 1-0 victory against Real Sporting de Gijón. On July 20, 2020, he scored in the win against Extremadura, marking his fourth goal of the season, along with six assists.
Pedri to FC Barcelona
On September 2, 2019, FC Barcelona reached an agreement with Las Palmas for Pedri’s transfer, effective from July 1, 2020. He signed for two seasons with the Catalan club, who paid 5 million euros for the operation. In August 2020, he was called up to begin preseason with Barcelona, and on September 12, he made his preseason debut in a 3-1 victory over Nàstic de Tarragona. His official debut came on September 27, entering as a substitute in the second half of a 4-0 win against Villarreal on the third matchday of the championship, which was Barcelona’s first game of the season. He earned his first start on October 17, in a 0-1 defeat against Getafe.
On October 20, Pedri scored his first goal against Ferencváros in his UEFA Champions League debut, becoming the third youngest player in the club’s history to score in that competition. On November 7, he scored his first La Liga goal in a 5-2 victory over Real Betis Balompié on Matchday 9. On January 7, 2021, he scored his second La Liga goal and provided another assist in Barça’s 3-2 victory over Athletic Club at San Mamés. On April 17, he won his first title as a Blaugrana, as Barça defeated Athletic Club 4-0 to become champions of the 2020-21 Copa del Rey.
On October 14, 2021, Pedri renewed his contract with the Catalan club for four more seasons, until 2025-26, with a record release clause of 1 billion euros. On November 22 of that year, he was awarded the 2021 Golden Boy, recognizing him as the best European U21 footballer. A week later, on November 29, he received the 2021 Kopa Trophy from the French sports magazine France Football in Monaco, honoring the best U21 footballer in the world.
On February 13, 2022, Pedri scored against R.C.D. Espanyol after just 75 seconds, marking the fastest goal in the Barcelona derby in the 21st century.
On January 28, 2023, he played his 100th match for FC Barcelona and celebrated by scoring the only goal in a victory against Girona F.C. A couple of weeks prior, he had also scored in the Spanish Supercopa final, which they won against Real Madrid. In May, he secured his first La Liga title.
On January 30, 2025, Pedri extended his contract until June 2030. That season, he scored the opening goal of the Copa del Rey final, which they won after defeating Real Madrid in extra time. Furthermore, his performance in April earned him his first La Liga Player of the Month award, recognizing his influence on the team and his contribution to the title race. They clinched the title on the day he reached 200 appearances as a Blaugrana
National Team Career
On September 15, 2019, Pedri debuted with the Spain U-17 national team, scoring a goal that secured victory against Qatar. In October, he was called up for the U-17 World Cup in Brazil.
On August 21, he received his first call-up to the Spain U-21 national team for a match against North Macedonia on September 3, 2020, playing from the bench in a qualifier for the 2021 European Championship.
On March 15, 2021, Pedri received his first call-up to the senior national team for the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers. He debuted on March 25 in the match against Greece, coming on in the second half. On May 24, 2021, he was included in the 24-man squad for Euro 2020. On June 14, he played in Spain’s opening match of the competition against Sweden, becoming the youngest Spanish player to participate in a European Championship. He was included in the Team of the Tournament, as well as being named the Best Young Player of Euro 2020.
In late June 2021, while competing in the Euro 2020, Pedri was called up to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. At this Olympic event, he won a silver medal.
On November 10, 2022, he was included in the squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. After his participation in the tournament ended, and due to various injuries, he did not play for the national team again until June 2024. In the next match, the last before heading to the Euro 2024, he scored his first two international goals against Northern Ireland.
His participation in Germany concluded in the quarterfinals against the hosts, after suffering a tackle from Toni Kroos (this was Kroos’s last professional game), followed by a knee sprain that forced Pedri to miss the rest of a competition that Spain won after defeating England in the final.