Pedri González received the nomination for the Ballon d'Or that will be presented on September 22 in Paris, after showing a level in the 2024/25 season that ended up making him one of the best midfielders in the world today.
Such was the magnitude of the class demonstrated by the Barça '8', that he is on the cover of France Football for the month of August; precisely this same one is the one who gives the prestigious award. "I try to think faster than others," the French magazine headlines.
Also, this Saturday an extensive interview will be published in which Pedri is sincere and reflective about his aspirations in the Ballon d'Or ranking and offers his vision on the main contenders in the race for the coveted award.
Pedri does not skimp on praise for Yamal and Dembélé, his direct competitors
In this context, two of the players who will surely be at least in the top 3 are Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembélé, whom he knows very well because he has shared a dressing room with both, considering that the Frenchman left FC Barcelona in the summer of 2023.
Thus, in a preview that the official Ballon d'Or account uploaded, the player expresses the kind of player that the new Barça 10 is, in addition to commenting that Lamine plays with joy, something that is evident on the field.
"He has incredible quality for one-on-one; the first player he dribbles past is as if he wasn't even there. He plays to have fun and that shows on the field," he said.
Regarding the '10' of Paris Saint-Germain, Pedri pointed out that he is a player with a scoring ability that he did not have before, apart from highlighting his ability to hit the ball with both legs.
"Ousmane is also a player with a lot of power. He plays with both legs; I still don't know if he is left-handed or right-handed. He has scored many goals this season, something he didn't usually do. Both have had an incredible season."
Can Pedri win the Ballon d'Or?
For several months of last season, Pedri was among the main candidates for the Ballon d'Or, supported by his brilliant performance as the most outstanding player of Barça in numerous matches.
However, now that the season is over, his options seem to have been diluted in the face of other names that have garnered more media attention or that have achieved titles of greater weight. Despite this, the Canary Islander aspires to occupy a better position than the one he had in 2021 when he finished 24th.
In that year, the player reached the semi-finals of the European Championship with Spain, led by Luis Enrique. In contrast, on this occasion he arrives after winning LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup after playing 59 matches, in which he scored 6 goals and assisted on 8 occasions.
Pedri dreams of reaching the level of Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets
On the other hand, he expressed his desire to one day reach the level that Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets demonstrated when they formed the blaugrana midfield.
"It is clear that we are not at their level. Hopefully one day we can reach it because everything they have given to our club and our national team was incredible. We try to be a little like them, but we still have a long way to go," he explained.