On Saturday, something unexpected occurred at the Coliseum. A place where football often ends, where away players have been harassed and abused for 90 minutes by the home supporters. When Pedri was substituted in the 88th minute, the Getafe supporters stood and applauded him.
It was not a polite ripple. It was a standing ovation in Getafe. For a Barcelona player.
It is difficult to find a better assessment than Flick's: "It's a huge fair play from the Getafe fans to see Pedri get a standing ovation here. How he plays, his mentality, his quality. He got respect from the supporting opponents. It's amazing."
It really is. The Coliseum does not do sentiment. This is Bordalas' ground. And even there, Pedri managed to make people stand.
Pedri receives a standing ovation as he’s substituted off 👏👏👏
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 25, 2026
↑🟢 Marc Casadó
↓🔴 Pedri#GetafeBarça pic.twitter.com/1OV9L1SiQi
What he did against Getafe
He played 88 minutes, played a fantastic game and assisted Fermn's first goal with a precise through ball that opened the game. Without this, this might have been a difficult game against a team determined to make things uncomfortable for Barcelona.
Looking at his recent matches it makes perfect sense. His run of form has been amazing. He recieved 8.6 rating vs Rayo Vallecano, 8.1 rating vs Celta, 8.1 rating vs Espanyol. and 8.5 rating vs Getafe yesterday. He's playing 90 minutes almost every game at the highest level. And at just 23.
via~ Fotmob
Numbers in the season
So far he has played 1,811 minutes in 25 La Liga matches. He has bagged 2 goals and 10 assists in all competitions so far. These numbers don't convey what he really does though. Pedri has 91% pass accuracy with 1,597 passes and 55 key passes this season.
He is in the 99th percentile for midfielders both in terms of touches and key passes. He's completed 35 dribbles with a success rate of 70% and has won 132 duels.
Defensively, he's also contributed with 48 tackles, 21 interceptions and 91 defensive actions overall.
Individually, none of those numbers stand out so much that a neutral supporter would think, 'He's the best in the world'. That's why they're numbers. One has to just watch him play for ten minutes, and the argument is already made.
Why is he indispensable at the moment
Barcelona have lost Yamal for the season and still await for the return of Barcelons's most effective player Raphinha. And Frenkie de Jong continues to be unavailable at various points.
In fact, in key positions the team is quite depleted and there is rarely time to recover in any one place due to the sheer intensity of games.
Despite this, Pedri has been the one steady player and he has done the impossible when needed to keep things in place. He has produced the moments of quality for Barcelona ever since he joined from Las Palmas.
He's 23 with a contract running until 2030, a market value of €107.9 million and 14 career trophies so far. This includes two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey medals, Nations League winner's medal and of course a Euros winner's medal with Spain.
Most players would have seen their progress halt or regress by spending large portions of the last three seasons recovering from injuries. But he has returned to the same level without missing a step and has seemed to carry on from where he left off.
Best midfielder in the world
The Ballon d'Or argument should start now. A 23-year-old carrying a side like Barcelona to a potential title.
His football for Barcelona from midfield, should give him a chance to be up there in discussions with some of the very best players on the planet. What more does he need to do?
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