Pedri, a titanium footballer

From fragile glass to pure titanium. From a Guadiana-esque footballer to an omnipresent all-rounder. From being an unknown quantity when he'd be available to knowing he'll always be there. Pedri is back. You can say it louder, but not more clearly. The Canary Islander's season puts him close to the best years of Xavi or Iniesta in terms of creating and influencing the game.

More resilient than ever, Pedri has missed only one of Barcelona 's 60 matches this season. He'll also have to add another ten for Spain if he plays both Nations League matches this week.

No injuries This season he only missed one of Barça's 60 games... and it was because of the flu.

Hansi Flick has found the key to achieving the best and, above all, longest-lasting version of the midfielder. His only absence wasn't due to injury but rather a bout of flu that forced him out of the squad for the Barça- Valencia match on January 26. Before that, he played 31 consecutive matches, and then went on to string together another 28 before finally making his debut at San Mamés.

Even in his debut season under Koeman, he wasn't as consistent and tireless. He left after 53 matches. Last season, however, he missed 19 matches and was only able to start 39% of the matches (21 of 53).

Nothing like his numbers this season. No one has been more of a fixture in the lineup than him. He's started 56 times, three more than Raphinha and five more than Lamine Yamal.

The record of the 72 duels The midfielder could reach 69 matches with the two Nations and surpass the 5,091 minutes of the 20-21 season.

The new Pedri, who is only 22 years old, combines quality and foresight on the ball with physicality and dedication off it. He was always very elegant, with exceptional vision. Now he also manages to do everything and enjoys unusual consistency.

Under Flick, who has moved his position a few meters further back on the pitch to allow him to be more organized, Pedri is the player who has made the most passes in La Liga , with more than 3,100 actions. No other player has made more passes in the opposition half than him, with 1,718 successful passes from midfield forward.

The authentic measure His influence has been such that his goals have stopped being counted (6, by the way) because his football is a delight.

The point is, Pedri had already been this resilient. He was with Ronald Koeman in the former Las Palmas player's first season in the Blaugrana. Despite arriving to play for Barça B or go out on loan—he was 17—he quickly won over players, settled into the first team, and ended up becoming one of Messi's favorite partners.

It's the famous 2020-21 season in which the Canary Islander racked up a whopping 72 matches between September and August, winning consecutive European Championships and Olympic Games with Spain. This overexertion, even at a growing age, ended up taking its toll on him physically. Pedri, who hadn't been injured at all, began to suffer constant setbacks due to muscular problems. Interruptions that disrupted his rhythm and sapped his confidence, preventing him from expressing himself consistently.

All that is behind us. The brain not only had ideas, but also pursued and implemented them thanks to incredible legs. No one in the training ground was surprised by his performances. In the Champions League , he ran 141 km, almost three and a half marathons. His influence was such that his goals (six, by the way) were no longer counted because his football is a delight.

It doesn't stop moving In the Champions League, he ran almost three and a half marathons in the 14 matches

The genetic muscle study commissioned by the club in Baltimore has a lot to do with this change in performance. The sporting leadership was concerned about Pedri's constant setbacks, and the results yielded an unusual conclusion. The Canary Islander's muscle fibers don't benefit from long breaks, weeks without playing a match, and this news has been a godsend for Flick, who has found his connecting thread on the pitch .

In total, the Tenerife native has played 4,648 minutes with Barça , plus 320, so far, with the national team, and is approaching the record of 5,091 minutes this year, a figure he could reach again. With that continuity and his wisdom, Joan Laporta didn't hesitate in January to offer him a renewal as a Barcelona player until 2030. Pedri, a Barça fan since childhood, signed and can now boast of playing 200 games for Blaugrana.