Former Barcelona forward’s inclusion surprises as Pedri creates his ideal footballer | OneFootball

Having gotten over his injury issues, the midfielder Pedri is once again shining for FC Barcelona this season. He has been essential for Hansi Flick since the start of the season and has been the leader of this midfield, which has missed several other important players since the start of the season.

Under Hansi Flick, he has played both as one of the pivots in the double-pivot system preferred by the German coach and also as an attacking midfielder.

He also has been engaging actively with the media, and as Mundo Deportivo has reported, his latest interaction with the media came in the form of an interesting game in which he was asked to create his ideal footballer using the main strengths of different players.

For this ideal footballer, Pedri chose to have the left foot of Lionel Messi, the right foot of Andres Iniesta (who is also his idol), the intelligence of Xavi, the speed of Alejandro Balde, the strength of Adam Traore (his former teammate at Barcelona who currently plays at Fulham), the shooting of Lionel Messi, and the heading ability of another of his former teammates, Luuk de Jong.

The last choice was the most surprising one, as the Dutch striker has not gotten a lot of recognition as a particularly amazing player. However, during his time at Barcelona in the 2021-22 season, his heading ability bailed out the Catalan club multiple times, and was definitely a source of joy for the Barcelona fans.

The other choices are significantly easier to understand. Lionel Messi remains one of the best footballers in almost every aspect, and his left foot and shooting would definitely be needed in an ideal footballer.

Xavi’s intelligence and Iniesta’s right foot also need no justifications, while Adama is also one of the strongest footballers. Pedri could have chosen another player for his speed, but Balde is also a good choice, keeping in view both these players have played together for several years now.