Over his career with the likes of Arsenal, Juventus and now Barcelona, Wojciech Szczesny has played with some legendary names but thinks one of his current teammates is the most impressive player he has ever seen.
The 35-year-old won two FA Cups with the Gunners, three Serie A and three Coppa Italia titles with Juve and has now added a La Liga and Copa del Rey to his CV with Barca.
He’s played alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba, Mesut Ozil, Robin van Persie, Mo Salah and Francesco Totti on loan at Roma and Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal at Barcelona.
The goalkeeper will think highly of many of his teammates but one stands out above the rest.
Szczesny has been blown away by the talent of Pedri, saying he has never seen a player have a season like the 22-year-old has just produced.
The midfielder made 59 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona and the Pole says he has never been more impressed by a player.
‘What Pedri did this season… I’ve never seen a season like that from any player,’ Szczesny told Foot Truck.
‘Watching him live, seeing how he controls the game both defensively and offensively… Incredible.
‘He’s the player who’s impressed me the most in my entire life. I don’t know what makes up his genius, but he doesn’t lose the ball.’
The Barcelona goalkeeper reckons Pedri deserves to win the Ballon d’Or as a result of his immense season, adding: ‘For me, he was the best in the world.’
Szczesny is not the only Barcelona star to recognise the brilliance of Pedri, with Raphinha describing him as the ‘heart of the team’ earlier this season.
‘Pedri doesn’t have many assists, he doesn’t have a lot of goals… but for me, he’s the most important player on our team,’ said the Brazilian. ‘I think he is the heart of the team.’
Manager Hansi Flick agreed, saying: ‘Raphinha said Pedri is the heart of the team? Yes, exactly. Pedri is fantastic. When he touches the ball, you see real magic. He’s getting better, constantly developing himself.’
Messi on Pedri
Former Barcelona chief Ramon Planes told Carrusel Deportivo of Pedri: ‘From the moment he joined Barca… already in the second training session, Messi himself said, “Where did we get this kid?”
‘There was no doubt that he had to stay. In the first week, I told his agent to forget about going out on loan, that he was definitely going to stay in the Barca first team.’
Pedri has attracted praise from outside of his club as well, with former Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos describing him as the best in the world in his position.
Speaking via Mundo Deportivo, the German said: ‘Pedri is generally a player who is greatly missed when he’s not on the pitch. He doesn’t just score goals or provide assists; he offers solutions. Beating opponents doesn’t always have to be with a pass, but Pedri is one of the few midfielders who has the gift of dribbling past opponents in tight spaces.
‘He’s almost more important than Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, or Lewandowski. They are the ones who decide the outcome of matches, but to make that happen, Pedri is currently the best player in the world in his position, in my opinion.’