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Barcelona veteran Dani Alves is set to end his second spell at the club with his contract expiring this month. The defender joined Xavi Hernandez's side in November on a short-term deal and has decided not to extend his stay.
As a result of this decision, midfield ace Pedri will be seen in the #8 jersey from next season, as claimed by Mundo Deportivo.
The #8 shirt was vacated by Miralem Pjanic last summer after his loan move to Besiktas was sanctioned by Barcelona. Before Pjanic, it was Arthur Melo who wore this jersey for the Blaugrana.
Upon his arrival in November, Alves found the number free and decided to wear it. Pedri, meanwhile, for the past two seasons, has worn the #16 jersey.
The 19-year-old has been extremely important to Xavi and his new number asserts his importance to the Catalan side. He is fond of the number #8 because it was worn by his idol Andres Iniesta.
When the Spaniard arrived at Barcelona in 2019 he was worth just €15m, but due to his performances in the past two campaigns, his market value has meteorically risen to €80m (via Transfermarkt).
The 2021-22 season was a difficult one for Pedri as he spent long spells on the sidelines recovering from a hamstring injury and was restricted to only 21 appearances across competitions.
He still managed to stand out through those limited performances, controlling the tempo of the game and excessively facilitating the build-up, scoring four goals in the process.
Barcelona ace Alves wants Pedri to match the high standards of the #8
Before Mundo Deportivo's reports about the inheritance of the Blaugrana right-back's number, Pedri had already hinted that he will be the next #8 for the club.
Last month, the player launched his official website, which is now online and goes by this address: www.pedrigonzalez8.es. The occurrence of 8 in the URL gave us an idea of what was coming.
In April, Alves also agreed that he'd be happy to hand over the Barcelona midfielder his jersey. He said (via Mundo Deportivo):
"Yes, I told him I would leave the '8'. I read in an interview that he said that he liked the number 8 and I talked to the people of the club, that next season if he wants him to take it, if I stay, of course.
"If you want it is yours, but there is only one mission, you have to defend it very well, because this shirt has been worn by very big people, very special, especially for me, like Iniesta or Hristo ... they are people who have done a lot for and for this club. The numbers must be defended and respected."
