Pedri and Frenkie double pivot at Barcelona: The most beautiful sight in football today – Opinion | OneFootball

Spanish football, in general, does not receive the same level of recognition as the Premier League, which often means FC Barcelona players go under the radar unless they are mavericks like Lamine Yamal or Lionel Messi.

Thus, when Hansi Flick’s men made the trip to St James’ Park last week to face Newcastle United in the Champions League, the football world stopped to take notice of the way the Catalan club plays, and of two players in particular.

Barcelona travelled to England without Lamine, who was out injured, but they decimated Eddie Howe’s side with beautiful football. The 2–1 scoreline was not necessarily a reflection of the gulf in class and the contrast of styles that were on display in NE1.

Many English football fans had their first glimpse of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong as a duo at the base of midfield for Barcelona, and were blown away by the pedigree on display. The pair ran the show against Howe’s team on the night.

Newcastle players such as Gordon said they had never faced ball retention of this quality and that it was a learning experience. The Spaniard and the Dutchman ensured the Magpies were chasing shadows for most of the game.

For Barcelona fans, it was no surprise to see Pedri and Frenkie play at that level in England. This has been something that the duo has done successfully since the start of 2025, and there is a reason they are undisputed starters in Flick’s XI for the big games.

Former Manchester City star Jack Grealish called it a “joy” to watch Pedri and de Jong play, and Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, who knows a thing or two about playing in midfield, name-dropped Pedri as his “new favourite footballer”.

It is worth noting that Frenkie was returning from an injury that had kept him out of training for close to 10 days, yet he showed no signs of being off the pace and played the entire game at the highest level.

The numbers from SofaScore reflect just how good the duo were against Newcastle. Pedri played 90-plus minutes, recording 112 touches and completing 85/94 passes with 90% accuracy. This included 1 key pass, 1 long ball, 2/3 dribbles, and 9/12 ground duels.

Frenkie, on the other hand, also played the entire game, recording 98 touches and completing 86/87 passes with 99% accuracy. He played two key passes and completed two long balls. He completed his only attempted dribble and won 4/8 ground duels.

Just a few days later, against Getafe in La Liga, the duo were at it again, controlling the midfield and helping Barcelona secure a 3–0 win. At this moment, there is no better sight in football than the Pedri x Frenkie pivot.

Pedri has always been a fan favourite, but with his displays every week, it is safe to say that Frenkie has won over the fanbase as well. He is finally living up to his full potential, and it all comes down to how well Hansi Flick has profiled him.

An added feather in Frenkie’s cap is how well he captains the side whenever he wears the armband. With Flick constantly rotating the centre-backs, the Dutchman gets the chance to lead the side often in the absence of Ronald Araujo, and he is making the most of it.

Barcelona fans will hope for this flourishing relationship in the middle of the park to continue for as long as possible. The ultimate aim is for the duo to go on to do special things and lead the club to all possible titles, and let us wait and see how it plays out.