Barcelona midfielder Pedri opened up once more about the time he was rejected by Real Madrid, with the capital club deciding at their own loss he wasn’t good enough for them.
Tenerife-born Pedri left his home island in 2018 to take his fledgling career to the next level. He was 15 at the time and trialed with Real Madrid, only for Los Blancos to pass.
The teen starlet was instead picked up by Las Palmas on neighbouring island Gran Canaria, before Barcelona reached an agreement to pay an initial €5 million ($5.8 million), effective from July 2020.
At 16, going on 17, Pedri played 52 games that first season and will reach 300 career appearances for club and country at some point during 2025–26.
“When I took the test at Valdebebas it was strange,” Pedri told Onda Cero as he relived the failed move to Real Madrid. “They told me I wasn’t up to standard and I went home.”
It’s not the first time that Pedri has discussed that sliding doors moment.
In 2022, he told Cadena COPE: “I went to Valdebebas and I couldn’t train the first few days because there was snow on the pitches. I trained for three days. I think they were playing one day and they sent me down to train with the B team and, in the end, they told me that I wasn’t good enough to be there and that they were going to keep scouting me."
He added: “Now I’m where I want to be. At first, you don’t like being rejected anywhere, but then it motivates you to think that if they didn’t want you, you'll work now so that something else can come your way in the future. I don’t remember who rejected me, [but] if I saw them, I’d tell them I’m enjoying myself at Barcelona right now.”
Pedri, a Kopa Trophy winner in 2021, has blossomed into one of the best midfielders in the world. He played a pivotal role last season in Barcelona’s domestic treble making 37 La Liga appearances in Hansi Flick’s side.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona’s Pedri Reflects on Failed Real Madrid Transfer.
