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Pedri inherits Andres Iniesta’s No.8 shirt

Phenomenal
Phenomenal

Mueez Ajao

– Barcelona wonderkid Pedri has been given the iconic No8 shirt worn by greats such as Andres Iniesta, Pep Guardiola and Gary Lineker.

– The 19-year-old has impressed since his 2019 move from Las Palmas.

– He has made 73 appearances for the Catalan giants, netting eight goals and recording seven assists.

Also Read: OFFICIAL: Kessié & Christensen join Barca as free transfers

– Pedri is an important player for manager Xavi.

– Xavi, who is a Barca great and regarded as one of the best midfielders of all time, believes Pedri is the most talented player on the planet.

– He said on Pedri: “There is no player in the world with as much talent as Pedri – and he is only 19!

– “He is absolutely superlative. How he turns, his understanding of space and time and the fact he uses both feet.

– “It is amazing to have him in the team and we must take care of him.

– “He came on for half an hour and was important. He makes the difference, in how we play, in the box… he wins balls back.

– “We demanded he shoot more and now he has three goals [since coming back from injury].

– “Look, he’s not a normal player. There are very few like him. Perhaps, at his age, he is already the best in the world in his position.”

– With such compliments comes great responsibility, and so he has been handed the famous No8 shirt.

– The iconic number was carried by Barca greats such as Iniesta, Guardiola and Lineker.

– Iniesta held the No8 shirt for over a decade.

– And in the No8 shirt, Iniesta helped lead Barca to a raft of major honours at home and abroad.

– Pedri signed fresh terms with Barca last year, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2026.

– He has a £846million release clause, highlighting his importance to Barca’s re-build under boss Xavi and Joan Laporta’s presidency.

– Lineker wore number 8 rather than number 9 at Barcelona.

– He said: “People sometimes ask why, as a centre-forward, I didn’t opt any point for the traditional number 9.

– “And the motivating factor, not for the first time in my life, was pure superstition.

– “I had worn number 9 a couple of times very early on at Leicester and had bad games while wearing it. Number 8 worked better.”

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