Pedri, the Barcelona star, ranks among the best midfielders in the world. He's also a close friend of Gavi, the heart and the shield of the Barca dressing room.
According to Sport, the humour and understanding between the pair runs deep. They dyed their hair after Spain's World Cup triumph, the number 8 going pink and the number 6 opting for platinum blond.
Men's Health put Pedri on the cover without a shirt back in October 2023, showing off a strong physique and prominent muscles. It was a build we rarely see from a player who usually looks slight on the pitch.
In the interview alongside the shoot, Pedri claimed Gavi would never dare pose bare-chested for any magazine because he was far too shy.
Three years on, Gavi returned the favour. He appeared the same way in the September 2026 issue and took aim at his friend, saying mockingly: "He did not look like this even in his dreams... and that was two years ago, or three years ago in fact, and now he is much worse". He went on to brand the Barcelona academy graduate "quite a liar".
For all the accusations of lying, Gavi conceded his team-mate had called it right about the shyness.
"That is true, I feel quite shy about some things," he said. "About other things I do not feel that, but appearing on the cover of a magazine without a shirt... makes me feel more embarrassed. On this point specifically he is not lying".
"In the end, I did it," Gavi added. "Now I do things I would not have done two or three years ago. I was much more shy about some things. Two years ago, most likely, I would not have been here talking".