Barcelona has reportedly closed a deal with Manchester United to transfer Pedro for a price in the region of €32 million. With a move to Old Trafford seemingly imminent, it is time to look back on Pedro’s trophy-laden period at the Camp Nou.
Departing players aren’t always missed, especially when it is the player himself who has expressed a desire to leave. Many will feel the time is right to cash in on the 28 year-old who has become more of a backup option than a regular starter in recent times. There will be other Barcelona fans of course who feel a player of Pedro’s quality will be needed over the course of a long season.
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The following season, however, proved to be a breakthrough one for Pedro and became a regular sight in the first team netting 23 goals in a fantastic season. By the time, the 2010-11 season came around Pedro was a permanent fixture in the side playing in a new-look front three alongside Lionel Messi and David Villa.
The trio contemplated each other superbly playing in a team that many feel reached a level of football perfection not seen before. Pedro’s fine season culminated in scoring the first goal of the Champions League final at Wembley in which Barca went on to win 3-1 against Manchester United.
The Spanish international was proving to be a valuable foil for Villa and Messi in particular. With Messi usually attracting the majority of attention from opposing players, Pedro was providing an outlet out wide which stretched defences while Barca’s tiki-taka style was being worked in more central areas. Pedro used his pace and excellent spatial awareness to create and score goals in abundance for the team. In terms of individual achievement, that glorious season probably proved to be the peak of the forward’s time at Barca so far.
Over the next three seasons, Pedro still made a significant contribution to the side albeit with more appearances from the bench. The goalscoring numbers may have dropped but measured against his number of minutes on the pitch, the ratios dropped only marginally.
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Pedro has seen off some big names in his Barca career such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez for example. The likes of Ibrahimovic may well have more natural talent than Pedro, but the Spaniard has the team ethic and mentality to fit into the unique Barca playing style.
Another attribute Pedro brings to a squad is a humble personality which has made him a popular figure with the managers he has played under. Despite being named a substitute on a frequent basis, Pedro has rarely made a fuss or complained at not getting more playing time. He is one of those players that a coach loves to have around the dressing room.
Pedro evidently feels that at this stage of his career he wants to play more football and last season questioned his future at the club. The forward was keen to stress that he was determined to produce his best efforts when called upon, though.
You can be sure that if his departure does go through, he will be someone who is missed by the majority of Barca fans worldwide.
Now, it’s your turn
Will Barcelona miss Pedro if his departure is confirmed? Would Pedro make a mistake by swapping the Camp Nou giants for Manchester United? I’d love to hear your views. Share your comments with our community in the box below.
