Pedri has been one of the very few bright spots for
Barcelona over the past year, during which a president has resigned and its
debt has skyrocketed. Barcelona had to let Messi walk away when it could not
pay his wages. Painful losses on the field have followed.
“My desire was to remain here for many years,” the
18-year-old Pedri said after signing. “It is true that we are going through a
difficult moment, but we are the greatest club in the world and we are going to
work this out.”
Pedri is coming off a breakout season, his first with Barcelona
after joining from Las Palmas. The playmaker led Barcelona with 53 appearances,
helping it win the Copa del Rey.
Pedri also became a key player for Spain, helping the
national team reach the semifinals of the European Championship and winning a
silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
His salary was not made public but Barcelona president Joan
Laporta thanked Pedri for making “an effort” to reach an agreement that the
cash-strapped club could afford.
In a sign of the expectations Barcelona has placed on Pedri,
his contract includes a release clause of 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion), the
highest in club history. Barcelona's director of football, Mateu Alemany, said
Pedri's release clause "means he will be off the market for several
years.”
Pedri signed for Barcelona in 2019 from Las Palmas, a
second-division club on his native Canary Islands. The transfer fee of 5
million euros ($5.8 million) proved a steal. At Barcelona, Pedri quickly
convinced coach Ronald Koeman that he should be his central playmaker in a
similar role to former great Andrés Iniesta.
Spain coach Luis Enrique took note and gave Pedri a starting
spot in the European Championship, where his precision passing and ball control
earned him the award for the tournament’s best young player.
With Messi gone and no money to make big signings, Pedri
forms part of a youth movement at Barcelona along with forward Ansu Fati and
Gavi Páez, who recently became the youngest player to debut for Spain at age
17.
Pedri is currently recovering from a left thigh injury. He
said that he did not believe the injury was due to the staggering total of 74
matches he played for country and club last season.
“I am eager to get back out there and make good on the trust
that (the club) has placed in me,” Pedri said.