“I found it hard to believe” - Pedri opens up on how Lionel Messi’s ‘shock’ exit impacted him at Barcelona

Barcelona midfielder Pedri has opene dup on Lionel Messi's exit from Camp Nou in 2021. The Argentine maestro rose through the ranks with the Catalans, before exploding onto the scene.

La Pulga would go on to become the club's greatest ever player, and one of the finest ever to grace the beautiful game. However, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner ended up leaving in the summer of 2021 as a free agent after the LaLiga champions failed to extend his stay.

Pedri, interestingly, arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2019 from Las Palmas and brushed shoulders with Lionel Messi for two seasons. The two shared the pitch 47 times for the Catalans, winning 29 games and contributing three goals together.

Speaking to France Football, as cited by Mundo Deportivo, Pedri said that he always looked for La Pulga on the pitch.

"I always passed the ball to Messi. Clearly, he was better than me. He was incredible in training; we were lucky to see him,” said Pedri.

The Spanish midfielder went on to recall how Lionel Messi's departure from Barcelona left him in shock.

“It was a shock when Leo Messi left. I was playing in the Olympics, and I found it hard to believe,” said Pedri.

The diminutive magician went on to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), where he won the league twice in two seasons. The 38-year-old left the Parisians in the summer of 2023 to move to Inter Miami, once again as a free agent, and now plays in the MLS.

How many trophies has Lionel Messi won with Barcelona?

Lionel Messi is the most decorated player in the history of football with 46 trophies to his name so far. Interestingly, 35 of those were won during his time with Barcelona.

La Pulga's first trophy with the Catalans was the 2004-05 LaLiga title, and for the next decade and a half, he would dominate the league like no other. The Argentine spent 17 seasons in LaLiga, and won the league 10 times with the Spanish champions.

Messi won the Champions League for the first time with Barcelona in 2006, and would go on to win it again in 2009, 2011, and 2015. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner also lifted the Copa del Rey seven times, and the Supercopa de Espana on eight occasions. La Pulga also won three FIFA Club World Cups and three UEFA Super Cups during his time at Camp Nou.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9500 articles for the website, and has garnered close to 21 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit