The arrival of Pedri at Barcelona had a scene that the Spanish midfielder will never forget. In the midst of the pandemic and at just 17 years old, the Canarian showed up for the first time at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper without even knowing where to go. What he didn't expect was to run into Lionel Messi as soon as he walked through the door of the players' area.
In an interview with The Players' Tribune, the 23-year-old footballer fondly recalled his first days with the Catalan team. His arrival took place in mid-2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, and was accompanied by a scene that he still remembers.
Pedri shared that he traveled with his brother and arrived by taxi at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper because neither of them had a driver's license. Upon entering the facility, he didn't even know where to go. However, everything changed when he walked through the door that led to the players' area.
Messi was the first person Pedri encountered upon arriving at Barcelona
"We got out of the taxi, I go to the security booth and say: ‘Hi, my name is Pedri. I’m here to train’. The guard signaled for me to pass, and I had no idea where to go. And when I opened the door to the players' area, guess who the first person I saw was. Literally, the first person. It’s Leo. He’s right in front of me. Seriously. I was speechless. I tried to introduce myself, but I don’t know what I said. Leo smiled at me, told me to relax, and took me to the locker room", the Spaniard recounted.
The impact didn't end there. Pedri explained that during his first days, he and Francisco Trincão avoided entering the locker room after training because they felt intimidated sharing space with the team's legends. "I arrived at the same time as Trincão, and for several days, we stayed in the gym after training because we were too embarrassed to enter the locker room with all those legends: Busquets, Piqué, Jordi, Leo…", the midfielder recalled.
Messi welcomed Pedri as one of the team
The situation changed when the Argentine approached them and invited them to join the rest of the team. According to Pedri, Messi showed them where they could sit and helped them overcome the discomfort of their first days. "We were amazed just to be there. In the end, Leo came up to us one day. He must have realized what was happening and said: ‘Hey, what are you doing here? Come inside with us’. Leo took us to the locker room and showed us where to sit. We were like two puppies. ‘Here? Can I sit here?’", he recalled with laughter.
Pedri's numbers at Barcelona
Since his arrival at the Catalan club in mid-2020, the native of Tegueste has played 18,009 minutes, spread over 249 matches, in which he scored 29 goals, provided 34 assists, and received 13 yellow cards and 1 red card for double booking. In terms of titles, he has won 8: 3 La Liga titles (2022/23, 2024/25, and 2025/26), 3 Supercopa de España (2023, 2025, and 2026), and 2 Copa del Rey (2020/21 and 2024/25).
