"He is my Ballon d'Or", "Player of the season" - Fans praise Barcelona man after Catalan side's 3-0 win over Athletic Club

After ending their triumphant LaLiga term with a 3-0 win over Athletic Club on Sunday (May 25), Barcelona fans online hailed Pedri's performance. Some of the supporters argued that the Spaniard deserves a crown, while others claimed he merits the Ballon d’Or.

Barcelona got an early lead through Robert Lewandowski in the 14th minute of the encounter. The veteran striker collected a pass from Fermin Lopez and chipped the ball past Unai Simon in goal to put the visitors ahead. Three minutes later, Lewandowski doubled Blaugrana's lead, planting his header into the net.

In the added time, Dani Olmo went down in the penalty box following a challenge from Athletic Club's Yuri Berchiche. After an intervention by the VAR, the referee reviewed the challenge and awarded Barca a penalty. Olmo launched the ball into the net to secure a 3-0 win for Barcelona (90+4’).

Meanwhile, Pedri, whose remarkable display was a topic of discussion, registered a passing accuracy of 93% (115/123). He successfully delivered six out of nine long balls, won five out of 10 ground duels, and registered an important last-man tackle (via Sofascore).

Fans on X were impressed with Pedri's display against Athletic Club, and they campaigned in totality, with one tweeting:

"Pedri is my ballon d'or i don't care about what anyone else says.”

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"Fully fit pedri you wanted. He delivered a beast performance. Will finish in top 5 bdor,” another added.

"Thanks for this season pedri. have a good rest now,” a satisfied fan posted.

"Pedri masterclasses you will be missed,” another fan shared.

"Every time Pedri gets the ball, time slows down and every player on the pitch pause. That’s how good he is. I genuinely haven’t seen a midfielder this good since Xavi and Andres Iniesta were playing for this football club,” a fan opined.

"Pedri player of the season 💙♥️💪,” wrote another.

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"I feel a little sad that I couldn't win the Pichichi award" - Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski

Athletic Club v FC Barcelona - La Liga EA Sports - Source: Getty

Robert Lewandowski has said he's disappointed at missing out on the 2024-25 Pichichi award (top scorer in a LaLiga season). He also attributed his struggles to the injuries he suffered during the term, but added that it was 'normal.'

In an interview after Barca's finale of the season, Lewandowski said (via Barca Universal on X):

"I feel a little sad that I couldn't win the Pichichi award. I struggled a bit to return to my best shape after my injury, but that's normal."

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Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, who scored 31 league goals, defeated Lewandowski (27) to clinch the Pichichi award. Meanwhile, Barca finished the 2024-25 LaLiga term as winners, having accumulated 88 points from 38 games.

About the author

Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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Edited by Parag Jain