""He has all the makings of a Ballon d'Or winner," said Planes (h/t MARCA), who had played a key role in convincing Barcelona to sign the player from Las Palmas. Since then, the midfielder has appeared in 221 competitive matches for Barcelona, even recently breaking Lionel Messi's record for being the youngest ever Barcelona player to make 150 La Liga appearances for the club."
"Given the way he has performed under Hansi Flick, a Ballon d'Or certainly cannot be ruled out for Pedri in the coming years. But it would broadly depend on the club's success. Pedri recently finished the Ballon d'Or 2025 standings outside of the top 10 despite enjoying a defining season at Barcelona, where he got rid of his injury woes."
Ramon Planes served briefly as Barcelona's sporting director and later became sporting director of Al Ittihad. He played a key role in persuading Barcelona to sign Pedri from Las Palmas. Pedri has made 221 competitive appearances for Barcelona and recently became the youngest player to reach 150 La Liga appearances for the club, surpassing Lionel Messi's record. Planes labeled Pedri as Ballon d'Or material and praised his development under Hansi Flick. Pedri finished outside the top 10 in the Ballon d'Or 2025 despite a defining, injury-free season. His Ballon d'Or prospects depend on club success and competition from teammates like Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. Planes also referenced the Saudi league's potential to feature in the Champions League in the future.
Read at Barca Universal
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]