Background and career
Pedro González López (born 25 November 2002), more commonly known as Pedri, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team. He is regarded as one of the best central midfielders in the world.
Coming through Las Palmas youth system, Pedri was promoted to the first team in August 2019 at the age of 16, before moving to Barcelona the following season. In his debut season, he played in almost every match as Barcelona won the Copa del Rey and he also won the Golden Boy and Kopa Trophy in 2021, presented to the best young player in the world. Despite facing various injury issues, he established himself as one of the most promising young players in the world, being integral to Barcelona winning a domestic treble of the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de España in the 2024–25 season.
Pedri is a Spain international and former youth international. He made his debut for the senior national team in 2021 and has represented his country at two FIFA World Cups (2022 and 2026) and two UEFA European Championships (2020 and 2024), was named the Young Player of the Tournament at Euro 2020 and played an integral role in Spain's victory at Euro 2024. At the 2026 World Cup, he helped Spain win their second world title.
Born in Bajamar, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Pedri's family moved to Tegueste, a nearby town, when he was three years old. His father, Fernando, played as a goalkeeper in his youth before taking over the family's restaurant. Pedri joined UD Tegueste, starting as a centre-back. At 13, Pedri signed for Laguna, where he played until 2018. Pedri was rejected by Real Madrid after a trial in 2018, where he was told he was not at their level. He was only able to train for a few days because of heavy snow, and based on those limited sessions, Real Madrid sent him home.
Pedri joined Las Palmas's youth setup in 2018 from Laguna. On 15 July 2019, aged only 16, he signed a professional four-year contract with the club, being promoted to the first team by manager Pepe Mel.
How Pedri makes money
In the middle of October 2021 Pedri signed a new contract with Barcelona which contained a record €1 billion ($1.57 billion) release clause.
