Barça loses Pedri

According to ‘Rac 1’, the muscle problem originated during the Clásico, a match in which the midfielder finished visibly fatigued. This is a particularly sensitive absence for Hansi Flick´s team, which already has numerous injured players. The blue and garnet infirmary includes names like Ter Stegen, Christensen, Gavi, and Raphinha; in addition to Joan García, Dani Olmo, and Lewandowski, the latter in the final stages of their recovery.

An essential player

Until this new setback, Pedri was one of the four players who had participated in all matches of the season, alongside Koundé, Eric, and Rashford. In any case, he would not have played this Sunday against Elche (6:30 PM) due to his red card with a double yellow against Real Madrid, which meant a suspension match. For that reason, the Tenerife native had ten days of rest before the next commitment in which he could be aligned by Flick, on November 5 against Bruges in Belgium. However, with this new injury, his return is in suspense and everything points to him not reappearing until after the international break in November. The club assures that no risks will be taken and that, despite Pedri´s crucial importance in the team´s scheme, his return to the pitch will not be rushed.

Nine months without rest

The accumulation of injuries in the culé squad has prevented Flick from giving the Canary midfielder a break. Gavi, Fermín, Dani Olmo, De Jong, and Marc Bernal have all been through the infirmary this season, forcing Pedri to multiply his efforts in midfield. The numbers speak for themselves: 49 consecutive matches played between Barça and the Spanish national team. The last time he missed a match was on January 26, 2025, and not due to injury, but because of a gastroenteritis that prevented him from being present against Valencia on matchday 21 of the previous season. Of those 49 matches, 32 were played with Barcelona and 16 with the Spanish national team. In 15 of them, he completed the full 90 minutes with his club, and in another eight, with the ‘Roja’. Figures that reflect his enormous weight in both teams, but also highlight the physical wear that is now taking its toll. The body, after all, is not a machine, and the Canary player´s muscles have reached their limit.

His last injury

If we review his recent history, Pedri´s last injury dates back to July 5, 2024, during the quarter-finals of the Eurocup against Germany. That day he suffered a grade 2 internal lateral sprain in his left knee, which forced him to stop for a month and miss both the semi-final and the final of the tournament. Nevertheless, he recovered in time and started the season with Barça in full condition. Since then, he has participated in 86 of the last 87 possible matches, missing only one —again— due to gastroenteritis. Of those matches, 70 were with the blaugrana jersey (in 27 he completed the full match) and the 16 remaining with the Spanish national team (playing all minutes in half of them). A continuous effort that, while demonstrating his commitment and relevance, also explains why his body has said enough.