Pedri’s hamstring injury is worse than Barcelona first feared, with reports coming out of Spain claiming that the influential midfielder could miss as many as six weeks.
The Catalans were rocked by the news of Pedri’s absence in the aftermath of El Clásico. The club confirmed the muscular damage suffered by the cerebral schemer without providing a timeline, although it was initially expected to take Pedri a month to get back on the pitch. That appears to have been optimistic.
The 22-year-old has torn his left hamstring and is now set to be out for a month-and-a-half, according to AS. This represents a catastrophic blow to Barcelona’s fading ambitions of retaining their league title. Pedri’s influence cannot be overstated.
Hansi Flick has overseen 73 games as Barcelona manager since taking over in 2024. Pedri has played in 72 of those. This season alone, the diminutive playmaker leads the team for total passes, passes into the final third, passes into the box and chances created. That’s not to say that Pedri lacks a punch—the Spain iternational also boasts a team-high tally of successful tackles.
Pedri is the team’s head and heart, subtly bending the tempo of each match to his will. “Anyone who’s next to him is going to feel comfortable because he’s very good,” Frenkie de Jong recently said of his frequent midfielder partner. “He solves a lot of things and always gives it to you in the best conditions.”
Barcelona Games Pedri Will Miss
Pedri hasn’t missed more than one game in succession since March 2024. Now he stands to sit out the next eight. Regardless of his injury, Pedri would be unavailable for Sunday’s visit from an in-form Elche after collecting the first red card of his senior career against Real Madrid last weekend.
That pesky hamstring will also sideline Barcelona’s heir to Andrés Iniesta for their next two Champions League fixtures; a pair of difficult trips to face Club Brugge in Belgium next week and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after November’s international break.
A daunting clash with Atlético Madrid, an opponent so eager to unsettle Barcelona’s rhythm, could prove to be the biggest test of a Pedri-less midfield.
The Euro 2024 champion is not the man for goals and assists—Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has set up as many Champions League goals as Pedri this season (one). But the role he plays in knitting together Barcelona’s web of passes, which set the team up to press feverishly once they lose possession, is invaluable.
“For me, a player like Pedri is more important than Lamine Yamal, Raphinha or [Robert] Lewandowski,” Real Madrid icon Toni Kroos gushed last season. “They may decide the results of matches, but to do that, Pedri is currently the best player in the world in his position.”
That importance will be tested over the coming weeks.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pedri: Barcelona Learn Return Date for ‘Serious’ Injury.
