The midfield dynamo simply can't stay fit — and Xavi might have to confront a future without him if things don't change

Earlier this week, it emerged that Pedri would be able to play a few minutes in Barcelona's Spanish Super Cup semi-final clash with Osasuna. This was, objectively, good news for Barca. After all, the struggling Blaugrana have certainly missed one of their best players during their recent sticky run.

There is no escaping he fact that Pedri is a vital player for this Barcelona team. In the last two-and-a-half seasons, the Barca have only lost three La Liga games in which Pedri has played. When he is not on the pitch, not only do they become more susceptible to losses, but his missing quality is simple to see.

The real issue is, however, that Pedri isn't on the pitch nearly enough. He has played just 46 La Liga games since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, and 67 in all competitions. A teenager used too much, too early, has proved unable to handle the immense workload thrust upon him.

It’s become an unfortunate, seemingly unbreakable, cycle; the Golden Boy-turned-midfield dynamo seeing his potential limited by his inability to stay fit. Chronic injury problems are not new in football, but for Pedri, an all-action midfielder who relies on every sinew of the muscles that are currently letting him down, it could be the death of a career that promised so much.

Getty ImagesShining light amid the gloom

Pedri is not a La Masia graduate – he arrived from Las Palmas in 2020 – but his style of play and ease at which he became a first-team star while just 18 means he has long been cited as being among the Blaugrana's latest wave of homegrown talent.

He arrived in Catalunya at a strange time. Barca were at the end of an era in September 2020, as Lionel Messi's best days appeared to be in the rearview mirror, while a series of big-money signings in attacking areas weren't panning out. The midfield, meanwhile, was a mess. Although Sergio Busquets was still considered one of the world's best, the duo alongside him could never quite get it right. Frenkie de Jong hadn't exactly enjoyed a glittering start to his Barca career, and manager Ronald Koeman didn't have a third central midfielder he could rely upon.

Enter Pedri. He was forced into the line-up more by necessity than quality, but steadily proved himself as one of the more promising midfielders in Europe. With Busquets' mobility decreasing, Pedri did all of the bits he between. He carried the ball forward and found the cute angles for Barca to exploit. He developed an excellent understanding with Messi, and paced Barca to a Copa del Rey win.

In a season marred by financial scandal, the threat of Messi leaving, and the inescapable reality that Barca's investments weren't panning out, Pedri was the shining light.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesHeavy workload

Once Pedri got into the Barca line-up, he was there to stay. By the end of his debut campaign, he had made 53 appearances for the Catalan giants, with his standout showings earning him a starting spot for Spain at the pandemic-delayed Euro 2020 as Luis Enrique made the teenager the fulcrum of his side. Thiago Alcantara, Rodri and Koke all had to watch while Spain's 'next Andres Iniesta' pulled the strings for a side that eventually lost in the semi-finals.

Rather inexplicably, the teenager was then named to Spain's Olympic squad, meaning he had just over a week off before boarding a flight to Tokyo to take part in his second summer tournament of the year. Unsurprisingly, he looked absolutely shattered once he got there.

Though he was granted a short break by Koeman early in the following campaign, Pedri still ended up playing 73 matches in all competitions in less than 12 months, logging over 4,000 minutes — twice the amount of what a teenager should be able to handle. Predicting what came next wasn't difficult…

First signs of problems

The first injury of Pedri's senior career came in September 2021 as he suffered from a hamstring strain. He missed three matches, and just under two weeks of action. Most footballers pick up a similar injury in any given season. Nothing to see here.

The second, though, was more complex. It came just three days after Pedri returned to action — and was nearly identical to the first. This time, though, it ruled him out for three months, and he was forced to watch from the sidelines for 23 matches.

He lasted only three more months on the pitch before his hamstring gave in once again, leaving Xavi to try and rebuild during his first campaign in charge without his most influential midfielder. By the end of the season, Pedri had managed just 26 appearances for club and country, and played less than half the minutes that he managed in his first Barca campaign.

GettyMixed title-winning campaign

The 2022-23 season brought with it new hope, and Pedri was on the pitch for day one of the season. He stayed fit throughout the first half of the campaign, and though Barca struggled in the Champions League, he was the chief dictator from central midfield once again.

And it was his play, not just Robert Lewandowski's goals or their watertight defence, that saw Barca make a La Liga title push. Pedri was among the league leaders in chances created, shot-creating actions, progressive passes and progressive carries. A more balanced system — one in which revitalised Busquets and improved De Jong — gave Pedri the freedom to roam and create. As he entered his 20s, he looked every bit the superstar who had finally matured, ready to lead Barca for years to come.

But in the first half of Barca's Europa League clash with Manchester United in February, the midfielder went down, clutching the same hamstring that had bothered him for almost two years. His season was, effectively, over.

The Blaugrana, of course, won the league, a feat Pedri played no small part in. Still, his minutes were onc against slashed.