Ramon Planes reveals what Messi said after first watching €120m Barcelona star in action | OneFootball

Ramon Planes’ tenure as Barcelona’s head of recruitment may have produced a mixed bag of signings, but one decision continues to shine brighter than the rest: bringing Pedri to the club. While many of his moves were questioned, fans will forever appreciate his foresight in securing the young talent from Las Palmas, a move that has since transformed Barcelona’s midfield.

The Canary Islands midfielder was signed by Planes when he was playing for Las Palmas in the second division. Barcelona signed him when he was just 16 years old and loaned him back to play in the Segunda division for the rest of the season.

Pedri was quite evidently the best player there that season and moved to Barcelona in the upcoming summer. Ronald Koeman was just starting his tenure as the manager of the Catalan club and wasted no time in bringing the Spaniard into the first-team mix.

Pedri has grown to become the best midfielder in the world. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The rise of Pedri

Within a matter of weeks, the now 22-year-old established himself as an undisputed starter in Koeman’s team which eventually saw him play almost the entire campaign without a minute of rest, go on to represent Spain in the Euros and subsequently the Olympic games.

It has taken two whole seasons for Pedri to recover from the injury issues that ensued and now, under Hansi Flick, he has established himself as arguably the best midfielder in the world. In many ways, the Spanish maestro is the heartbeat of this Barcelona team.

Ramon Planes, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, has highlighted that Barcelona always saw the quality in Pedri and has revealed what legendary attacker Lionel Messi said after seeing the Canary Islands midfielder in training. He said:

“In the second training session, Messi himself asked me where I got this kid. There was no doubt he had to stay.”

Planes also revealed that he was quite surprised that Bayern Munich approached him for Pedri even before he had moved to Barcelona. Incidentally, the coach of the German club at that time was Hansi Flick. The former sporting director has also revealed that the offer came just two days after the “8-2” drubbing. He said:

“I was very surprised because Pedri hadn’t even come to Barça yet. We had signed him, but he was on loan to Las Palmas. Pedri was coming off a sensational season at Las Palmas. He was probably the best young player in the Second Division, and you could already see that he was a special player, with a quality that made him stand out.”

Ronald Koeman’s time at Barcelona as a manager might not be remembered fondly by fans but credit must be given to the Dutch coach for seeing just how special Pedri was. He helped him breakthrough into the first-team and the Spaniard took the chance with both hands.

Pedri = Elite. (Source: DataMB)

Today, Pedri is a global star, commanding a €120million valuation and orchestrating games with a maturity beyond his years. From dazzling Spain at the Euros and Olympics to becoming the metronome of Barcelona’s midfield under Hansi Flick, his rise has been nothing short of remarkable.

As fans look to the future, they do so with hope and admiration, eager to watch Pedri continue weaving magic in a Blaugrana shirt for seasons to come.