Aitana Bonmati: ‘Pedri is greatly undervalued when it comes to awards’ | OneFootball

Barcelona Femeni midfielder and three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati heaped praise on men’s team superstar Pedri during an interview on El Larguero on Wednesday.

Aitana praised the quality and influence of the 23-year-old midfielder, whom she sees as essential for both club and country, while also stating that the Barcelona ace does not get the recognition he deserves in terms of awards.

Aitana’s statements come on the back of an excellent year or so for Pedri, where he has been the single-most influential player for the Blaugrana.

Despite his excellent performances and his influence in the team’s treble-winning campaign last time out, Pedri ended up finishing outside the top ten in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings, which was shocking to say the least.

“For me, Pedri is a top footballer who is greatly undervalued when it comes to awards. He contributes a lot to his teams. He is essential to Barça and Spain’s midfield, and you can tell when he’s not there,” said Aitana.

Pedri deserves more recognition, insists Aitana. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Stating how forwards seem to get the limelight more often than not, the three-time Women’s Ballon d’Or winner added:

“Without taking anything away from Lamine, who is a fantastic footballer and has incredible class, but there is a tendency to value forwards and attacking players more. Those with fewer goals or assists are not valued as highly.”

“For me, Pedri is essential,” she reiterated.

This is not the first time Aitana has spoken up for Pedri. At the recent Ballon d’Or gala, the Barça Femeni midfielder emphasised the importance of the Spanish international with the remark: “We must talk more about Pedri”.

Pedri has been sidelined for a month with an injury, although having resumed group training this week, he is expected to return against Alaves on Saturday.