“Pedri” continued his absence from Barcelona’s group training, leading to his exclusion from the anticipated match against Chelsea. In contrast, “Marcus Rashford” and “Frenkie de Jong” will be available to coach “Hanz Flick” after their recovery.
The newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” reported that Barcelona held its final training session on Monday morning at the Joan Gamper Sports City before traveling to London to face Chelsea on Tuesday, as part of the fifth round of the Champions League group stage.
The prominent feature of the training was the continued absence of “Pedri”, as he continued to work individually and was unable to participate in the team’s group training, despite the noticeable improvement in his recovery.
“Pedri” had suffered a hamstring injury since the end of last October, after the Clasico match at the Santiago Bernabeu, and is now in the final stage of recovery, but the technical staff prefers to avoid any risks during this crucial period of the season.
On the other hand, coach “Hanz Flick” regained the efforts of two important elements, namely “Marcus Rashford” and “De Jong.” The English striker, who missed the victory over Athletic Bilbao due to the flu, trained normally on Sunday. As for “De Jong,” he returned after the end of his suspension in the league and is preparing to be one of the leaders of the midfield in London.
Spanish full-back “Alejandro Balde” has also become available after leaving the field in the first half of Saturday’s match against Athletic Bilbao.
Coach “Flick” maintained the usual training routine this season, as the team conducts its morning sessions in Barcelona before traveling in the evening after having lunch in the sports city, with the appearance of the players and the technical staff to the media postponed until the match stadium, Stamford Bridge.
The Catalan team delegation is scheduled to travel to London at 15:45 local time, and “Flick” and “Rafinha” will hold their official press conference before the match at 19:45 Spanish time, where the coach is expected to talk about the return of “De Jong” and “Rashford”, in addition to other topics.
Barcelona arrives in London in high spirits after the positive results achieved by the team in recent weeks, with the return of some key players, but it realizes that facing Chelsea requires the best performance from the Catalan team.
A story of meteoric rise
“Pedro González López”, known as “Pedri”, is considered one of the most prominent rising football talents in the world, and has attracted attention with his calm style and insightful vision in midfield.
At a very young age, the Spanish player managed to establish himself as a key element in the squad of Barcelona and the Spanish national team, becoming a symbol of the new generation in the world of football.
Origins and the beginning of the journey
“Pedri” was born on November 25, 2002 in Tegueste in the Canary Islands, and grew up in an environment that loves football.
“Pedri” began playing the game at an early age, and quickly caught the eye with his innate talent, joining the Las Palmas club academy in May 2018, where his true football talent took shape.
The club’s coaches realized the value of the talent they possessed, and coach “Pepe Mel” promoted him to the first team when he was only sixteen years old.
“Pedri” played his first professional match on August 18, 2019, becoming the youngest player to participate with the team in the Spanish Second Division at the time.
Moving to Barcelona and the big explosion
On September 2, 2019, Barcelona reached an agreement with Las Palmas to sign “Pedri”, in a deal estimated at a maximum value of approximately 22 million euros (including variables), to officially join the Catalan team in the summer of 2020.
“Pedri” did not need long to adapt to Barcelona’s playing style, known for the “tiki taka” philosophy. Under the leadership of coach “Ronald Koeman” at the beginning, “Pedri” became an indispensable key player in his first season, providing a mature performance far beyond his age.
“Pedri” was distinguished by his ability to dribble, accurate passes, insightful vision in playmaking, and the great effort he exerts on the field, which made him compared to the club legend “Andrés Iniesta”.
Individual and collective achievements and titles
Despite his young age, “Pedri” has achieved a record full of achievements with Barcelona and the Spanish national team. He has won 6 titles with Barcelona so far, most notably two titles in the Spanish League (2022/23, 2024/25), two titles in the Spanish King’s Cup (2020/21, 2024/25), and two titles in the Spanish Super Cup.
On an individual level, “Pedri” received widespread international recognition. In 2021, he won the “Golden Boy” award for the best young player in Europe, and the “Copa” award from France Football magazine. He was also chosen as part of the ideal squad for the 2020 European Championship (held in 2021) and won the award for best young player in the tournament.
His international career and physical challenges
“Pedri” participated in all of Spain’s matches in Euro 2020, and contributed to the team reaching the semi-finals. Shortly after, he was part of the Olympic team that won the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and he also won the Euro 2024 title with Spain.
Despite the physical challenges, “Pedri” remains a pivotal element in the coaches’ plans, and is considered one of the best midfielders in the world thanks to his football intelligence and ability to control the rhythm of the game.
