Last night, the world of football took a brief break and stepped away from the pitch.
The kits and boots came off, as its biggest stars slipped into their finest suits and graced Paris with their collective presence.
All of them gathered inside the historic Theatre du Chatelet for the 66th Ballon d’Or ceremony, presented by France Football.
As opposed to heroes and icons, players were treated like movie stars and celebrities on the night, as a red carpet was laid out for their arrival.
The esteemed figures in attendance included the likes of Ronaldo Nazario, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Didier Drogba and many others.
And among them were two rather fresh faces in the Barcelona duo of Gavi and Pedri.
Mates on and off the pitch, the talented La Masia products burst onto the scene around 2 years ago.
And in the period since the duo have turned into integral members of both their club and national teams while establishing themselves as 2 of football’s brightest prospects.
2021 saw Pedri’s mercurial talents be recognised with the Kopa trophy. And this year, it was his fellow teammate’s turn, as Gavi was crowned the best U-21 player in the world.
An event as star-studded as this can be daunting for any individual, let alone an 18-year-old still learning the ways of fame.
This was pretty apparent when Gavi took the red carpet, as the teenager nervously tucked at his coat and gazed around cluelessly.
Fortunately, Pedri came to the rescue as he subtly nodded towards the cameras and let his teammate know that it was time to drop a pose. And evidently, it worked.
As the camera cuts away from the 19-year-old, we can see Gavi finally tending to the photographers with confidence, all while Pedri smiled along like a proud elder brother.
The chemistry and understanding between the midfield duo is wonderful to see, and it will undoubtedly serve them well on the pitch.
Safe to say, we could all use a friend like Pedri, one willing to share the limelight and help out whenever required.
