There are few players in FC Barcelona who can make the entire club look at them as the future face of the entity. However, such players have always been protected and treated rather differently than those around them. Lionel Messi, formerly, was one such face that Barcelona did everything to keep safe and happy.
The days of Messi are now gone, however. There is a younger core of players that Barcelona puts their trust and all their faith in. One such star is 21-year-old Pedri, who continues to be the embodiment of what Barcelona aspires to be and how the club aspires to play like.
However, the young Golden Boy winner has not exactly had an easy life at Barcelona. As highlighted by SPORT, his recurring injuries are now becoming a source of fear for the club. Despite all his quality and technical ability, the risk of consistently losing Pedri to injuries each season makes him practically useless to the coach.
Across his four seasons at Barcelona already, Pedri has had to suffer 7 different muscular injuries. His very first season showed no sign of this, but he was also put to the ultimate test at an age very few could do so.
Across his appearances for both Spain and Barcelona, Pedri played 71 times. With a total of 4911 minutes accumulated, the youngster participated in every international tournament with Spain as well.
The second season is where things began to become problematic. In the 2021/22 season, the Barcelona midfielder played only 26 games in total. He suffered three muscular injuries in one season and it was rather brutal on the player’s progression.
This was followed up in the third season, 2022/23, but to a lesser degree. While he was able to play a significantly better number of games, making 41 appearances, he still suffered two muscular injuries yet again. However, the ongoing season has not nearly been as kind.
In the current 2023/24 season, Pedri has thus far made only 11 appearances across four months. He has yet again suffered two muscular injuries. Moreover, SPORT believes that any news linking his injury to a training mishap is strictly misleading.
In totality, across his Barcelona first-team career, Pedri has suffered seven muscular injuries. These have caused him to remain on the sideline for a total of 384 days, more than a calendar year. In terms of games, he has missed 69, which equals to 46% of the games Barcelona has played in total over the last three years.
Now, Barcelona have been left with no choice but to take things to extreme levels. His diet, fitness plan, routine checkups, having to predict possible injuries or relapses, as well as making specific training regimes for the player, are all measures that must be looked into, as per SPORT.
Pedri remains a cornerstone of this new generation of FC Barcelona. His importance to the team is beyond just his spectacular quality on the field, and the club must protect him. The new year of 2024, however, is what both the club and the player hope will bring about better fortunes.
