Pedri appears quite worse for wear when compared with a photo of him from 2020

Surjit Patowary

Photo – Pedri appears heavily timeworn before 66th game of season

Barcelona, Pedri, Tokyo Olympics 2021

Over the past season, Pedri has established himself as a regular for both club and country.

The young Barcelona midfielder has had quite the enviable break-out season, as his precocious ability has helped him become an undroppable asset in midfield for both the Catalan outfit and the Spanish national team.

As a result, Pedri has featured heavily for Barcelona in La Liga and the Champions League, and for La Roja in the recently concluded 2020 European Championship.

But a hectic schedule goes hand in hand with being such an important asset, and quite naturally, Pedri has made a combined 65 appearances for club and country this season.

The 18-year-old talent has been one of Ronald Koeman’s most favoured players as he made 52 appearances for the Blaugrana in the 2020/21 season.

After a fruitful campaign with Spain where they were knocked out in the semi-final, Pedri also earned a call-up for the Spanish football team in the 2020 Olympics.

The young midfielder lined up for La Roja in their opening Tokyo Olympics clash against Egypt, and the online football community could not help but notice the fatigue in his face as the anthem was played.

Pedri looked visibly tired, and a shadow of the fresh youngster that Barcelona fans would recognize from the start of the season – hence proving that the number of appearances that he has made this season has definitely taken a toll on him.

Spain’s 0-0 draw with Egypt was the timeworn Pedri’s 66th appearance of the 2020/21 season, but his influence shone through as his passing, movement and vision beyond his years almost turned the draw into a win.

The young player of the tournament at the 2020 European Championship was one of the best players on the pitch only 16 days after Spain were knocked out of EURO 2020.

Barcelona fans will hope that he gets enough recovery time to get himself ready in time for the upcoming season, as they will want their best young asset in midfield to be fit and fine and help them reclaim the La Liga title.