'I would stare at him all the time' - Lionel Messi still missed at Barcelona as Pedri admits he was always in awe of 'best player in history'

Pedri turned heads when he burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old with Barcelona in 2020. The young midfielder showed quality and composure on the ball way ahead of his years, but that didn't mean he wasn't completely awestruck every time he trained with Lionel Messi.

During an interview with Twitch streamer Ibai Llanos, Pedri said: "Messi is the best player in history. I used to watch him training and say, 'What am I doing here with him'. And I would stare at him all the time.

"When I arrived at Barça the first person I saw in the dressing room was Messi. He had that aura."

Pedri was fortunate to make his Barcelona breakthrough when he did, as Messi left the club at the end of the teenager's first season. The Argentine star has since played for Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami, but he will forever be associated with Barcelona.

Messi wasn't the only club legend Pedri was in awe of, though. Former club captain Gerard Pique was also someone the youngster looked up to, even if he wasn't the best in training. Pedri said: "Pique was not enthusiastic in training, but in matches he was amazing… I could dribble past him seven or eight times during training."

For the second time this season, Pedri finds himself sidelined through injury without a firm date for his return. Though unlikely to recover from his muscle issue in time to feature in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, the midfielder could return for Barca's La Liga clash with Real Betis later this month.