Pedri Childhood Story (born into a family of Barcelona fans)
Pedri’s childhood story
Pedro Gonzalez Lopez, better known as “Pedri”, was born on November 25, 2002, in the city of Tegueste, located on the Island of Tenerife, Spain. He is the son of Spanish parents and one of two brothers in the family. Pedri bears a great resemblance to his mother, while his father has a more robust figure.
Pedri spent his childhood in Tegueste with his brother, with whom he had a very close relationship. From an early age, his parents encouraged his love for FC Barcelona, granting their children requests for team shirts. Thus, Pedri and his brother grew up as great admirers of the Catalan club.
Pedri grew up in a home that was passionate about FC Barcelona. His grandfather even founded a Barça supporters club in Tegueste. Despite coming from a middle-class background, the connection to football was present even in the details of their daily lives, such as the plates with the Barcelona logo used in the house.
Pedri Gonzalez’s first steps in football
Since he was little, Pedri had shown a great interest in football, inspired by players like Andrés Iniesta, whom he deeply admired. He started playing on the streets of Tegueste and soon stood out among his colleagues. At the age of nine, he joined Tegueste’s local academy after a successful trial.
The story of Pedri in Las Palmas
Despite his talent, Pedri struggled to make the transition to bigger academies. However, his perseverance paid off at the age of 13 when he joined Juventud Laguna. He later joined UD Las Palmas, where he continued to impress with his footballing progress.
Pedri joined Las Palmas ‘ youth team in 2018 from Juventud Laguna. On 15 July 2019, aged just 16, he signed a four-year professional contract with the club, being promoted to the first team by manager Pepe Mel .
Pedri made his professional debut on 18 August 2019, aged just 16, starting in a 0–1 home defeat against Huesca in the Segunda División . He scored his first professional goal on 19 September, with the only goal of the game in a home win over Sporting Gijón and became the youngest goalscorer in Las Palmas’ history at 16 years, 9 months and 23 days old.
The story of Pedri in Barcelona
On 2 September 2019, Barcelona reached an agreement with Las Palmas for the transfer of Pedri, with effect from 1 July 2020. The player agreed a two-year contract with the Catalan club, who paid €5 million for the deal, which would increase as he fulfilled various clauses in his contract. Assigned to the main squad for the 2020–21 season and given the number 16 shirt, Pedri made his debut on 27 September, replacing Philippe Coutinho in a 4–0 home win against Villarreal in La Liga . It hosted its first match on 17 October in a 0–1 away defeat againstGetafe . On 20 October, Pedri scored his first goal for the club on his UEFA Champions League debut , in a 5–1 group stage win over Ferencváros , after coming on as a 61st-minute substitute for Ansu Fati . On 7 November, in a 5–2 home win overAt Real Betis , he scored his first La Liga goal after an assist from Sergi Roberto .
On 6 January 2021, he scored a header against Athletic Bilbao and provided the assist for Barcelona’s second goal in a 3–2 win at San Mamés . On 17 April, Pedri won the first trophy of his senior career after Barcelona defeated Athletic 4–0 in the Copa del Rey final . On 8 May, aged 18 years and 164 days, Pedri made his 50th appearance for Barcelona in all competitions when he started in a 0–0 draw against Atlético Madrid at Camp Nou , thus becoming the second-youngest player to reach that milestone after Bojan Krkić , who was 18 years and 3 days old when he reached 50 appearances. In mid-October 2021, Pedri signed a new contract with Barcelona that contained a record €1 billion ($1.57 billion) release clause.
On 22 November 2021, Pedri won the Golden Boy award given by Tuttosport for being the best player in European football under the age of 21. The following week, he also received the 2021 Kopa Trophy , given by France Football , for being the best performing player in world football under the age of 21.
On 13 February 2022, Pedri scored the fastest Derbi Barceloní goal of the 21st century, scoring 75 seconds into a 2–2 draw against Espanyol .
On 14 April 2022, Pedri suffered a hamstring injury during Barcelona’s Europa League quarter-final second leg against Frankfurt , in which they were eliminated. It was subsequently announced that Pedri could miss the rest of the season.
On 28 January 2023, Pedri made his 100th appearance in all competitions in a La Liga match against Girona . He came on in the 26th minute in place of the injured Ousmane Dembélé and scored the only goal of the match.
The story of Pedri’s family
Origin of the Pedri family
Although Spanish, Pedri comes from the Canary Islands, a region close to Morocco and West Africa. His hometown of Tegueste is a strategic location for football scouts, with a history of young talents such as Pedro Rodriguez. There are indications that his parents may have African roots, possibly in Mauritania, Morocco or Algeria.
Pedri’s parents
Pedri’s father
Pedri’s father is responsible for his consistent determination to excel amid life’s challenges.
Thanks to his father, the young boy became interested in Barcelona from an early age.
Pedri’s mother
Interestingly, Pedri’s mother is also a football lover and supports Barcelona like the rest of the family.
Her deep interest in football enlightened her on how best to support Pedri in his footballing career. In times of struggle, the look-alike mother would often step in to advise her son.
Pedri’s siblings
To clarify things, he doesn’t have a sister, but only a brother. Not having sisters doesn’t mean Pedri has to wash the dishes.
In fact, her brother plays the role of sister, taking care of most of the food in the house.
Pedri’s grandparents
Pedri’s girlfriend
Pedri is single and does not have a girlfriend. The young star is focusing all his efforts on his professional career.
He might be dating a beautiful woman right now or he might be single.
His personal life, including his romantic life, is kept secret.
Pedri’s children
The Spanish player does not yet have children
