SUMMARY
- Pedri is an excellent midfielder representing both Barcelona and his national team Spain.
- Pedri's multiple serious injuries have hindered his career, with another setback in March 2024 possibly preventing him from reaching full potential.
Pedri is one of the most promising midfielders in the soccer world. The Spaniard has superior technique over the ball and his intelligence is unmatchable. The 21-year-old has mastered his dribbling skills and has an eye for world-class passes. An integral part of the FC Barcelona set-up, Pedri has shown incredible passion and perseverance on the soccer pitch.
[SKILLS 🔥]
🤯 @Pedri 🙌 pic.twitter.com/97I8vOabo5— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) November 1, 2020
However, one problem might stop the former UD Las Palmas player from reaching his ceiling. The 21-year-old has suffered many serious injuries in his infant career, which has massively hampered his club and country. An ever-injured player, Pedri suffered yet another injury in March 2024.
Pedri and Frenkie De Jong suffered serious injuries in the draw against Athletic Bilbao
On March 4, FC Barcelona traveled to the San Mames to face Athletic Bilbao in a La Liga fixture. The two teams looked extremely competitive on the night, with none of them giving their opposition even an inch of space. However, the scorecard at the end of the game remained 0-0 as Barca and Bilbao shared the points. Yet, the injuries to two of FC Barcelona’s midfielders were the actual talking points of the game.
Both players had to be replaced in the first of the 0-0 draw. The injuries looked bad on the pitch, but the matters got even worse when their reports arrived after the game.
𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦❗️
➡ Frenkie de Jong has a lateral ligament sprain in his right ankle.
➡ Pedri has a right quadriceps injury.Both players are out and their recovery will determine their availability. pic.twitter.com/9QTXVCw9EN
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 4, 2024
FC Barcelona’s social media accounts have provided insights into both Frenkie De Jong and Pedri’s injuries. According to their injury assessments, the Dutch midfielder has sprained his lateral ligament in his right ankle. While Pedri has to undergo treatment due to an issue with his thigh.
FC Barcelona coach Xavi too looked disappointed at the injuries to two of his brightest midfield talents. He said after the game (via Barca Blaugranes), “The injuries to Pedri and De Jong are not looking good. We are sad about these two absences, which will be for quite a few games I imagine.”
The injuries to the Spaniard and Frenkie De Jong mean, that FC Barcelona’s midfield is practically empty. Barca starlet Gavi had already torn his ACL in November 2023 and is ruled out for the entire 23/24 season. The fresh injuries to Barca’s midfield would further compound matters.
Surely, the Catalan midfield duo’s absence will be felt dearly, as FC Barcelona has a daunting few games up ahead. The Spanish giants take on SSC Napoli in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League 23/24 R16, having drawn the first leg 1-1.
List of major injuries sustained by Pedri
1)Hamstring injuries in September 2021
The first major injury in the Spaniard’s career came in the 21/22 season. Pedri suffered a quadriceps injury that kept him out for a long period.
His injury report had come after the Champions League against FC Bayern Munich in the 21/22 season. The Bundesliga club won the one-sided contest 2-0 at home. Pedri played the entire match but felt discomfort in his thigh as soon as the match ended. Further tests confirmed that the 21-year-old’s injury was a minor one and Pedri returned to action in just 11 days.
However, later on, it came to be known that the club had rushed the Spaniard’s recovery process. During his hasty recovery, Pedri damaged his thigh muscle even more which proved costly. Pedri missed 23 games for FC Barcelona and Spain and was sidelined for 102 days, missing out on an El Classico in the process. The 21-year-old could return to action only in January 2022.
Pedri suffered a major hamstring injury in April 2022
The Spaniard’s hamstring kept on bothering him in 2022. He suffered a hamstring injury yet again, after the scare in September from the previous year. However, this time the injury was even demoralising since it effectively ended the former UD Las Palmas player’s 21/22 season. The hamstring injury sidelined Pedri for 77 days, missing out on 13 games for club and country in the process.
Pedri, who was injured against Frankfurt, is likely to be out of action for up to 2 months. 🤕 pic.twitter.com/3z7XZ5h8S5
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) April 14, 2022
The injury report arrived after Barca’s Europa League knockout fixture against German side Eintracht Frankfurt. The Catalans hoisted Frankfurt in the hope of making it to the semi-finals of the competition, having drawn the first leg 1-1. However, in a shocking turn of events, the German side beat FC Barcelona 3-2 in Camp Nou and advanced to the next round, before winning the trophy altogether.
However, Pedri was lucky enough to just recover in time for the beginning of the next season. However, his injury concerns were evident even then.
Pedri’s muscular injury in February 2023
The Spaniard’s injury concerns kept bugging him the next season too. Pedri enjoyed a period of 8 months where he did not encounter any serious injuries. However, the streak ended in February 2023 in a home game in the Europa League against Manchester United. The 21-year-old suffered a serious muscle injury that kept him out for over 2 months.
‘The Red Devils’ traveled to the Camp Nou and were able to secure a favorable 2-2 draw. Marcus Rashford was the star of the show as the Englishman caused all sorts of worries for the Barca defenders. FC Barcelona must have been very displeased with their performance on the night, as the Catalans failed to make good use of their home advantage.
MEDICAL NEWS | Pedri has a right thigh injury. Further tests pending to determine the exact extent of the injury. pic.twitter.com/q7GffGdnx2
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 16, 2023
However, the talking point of the game was the muscle injury to Pedri in the first half. Sergi Roberto had to replace the 21-year-old in the second half, as FC Barcelona fans look already lost seeing their, bright talent leave the pitch.
Further tests followed after the game, which confirmed that Pedri had injured the rectus femoris muscle in his right thigh (hamstring). This meant that Pedri missed the second leg against Manchester United, which the English team won 2-1, to advance to the R16 of the tournament.
The hamstring injuries of Pedri 2023
It looks like it is the hamstring of the Spanish midfielder that has been the worst affected during Pedri’s career. The 21-year-old had to spend a huge chunk of 2023 sidelined, due to a couple of major blows to his hamstring.
The first major hamstring problem for the former UD Las Palmas man arrived in May 2023, when had to miss the action for 46 matches. Another FC Barcelona starlet Ronald Araujo accompanied Pedri during his rehabilitation program.
Pedri’s second hamstring problem was even bigger. He picked up yet another injury in August 2023, which further derailed his season. The Spaniard missed action until November 2023, hence missing out on 12 games for the club.
His club and country are overplaying Pedri. The 21-year-old was made to play an unhealthy amount of games during the beginning of his career, whose repercussions have surfaced in the past couple of seasons. It is now advisable for Pedri, that he does not rush into his rehab and utilize time off the field properly.