Pedri and Trincão caught by Messi in an odd moment: what are you doing?

In partnership with

Leonino

·9 September 2026

Pedri and Trincão caught by Messi in an odd moment: what are you doing?

Pedri and Francisco Trincão arrived at Barcelona practically at the same time, in 2020, at a stage when they were taking their first steps with the first team. The Spanish midfielder, now one of the main figures at the Catalan club and for the Spanish national team, recalled an unusual episode he experienced with the former Sporting player in their first days in Catalonia.

The two youngsters felt intimidated by the stature of the figures they encountered daily in the dressing room, including Sergio Busquets, Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi. Pedri explained that he and Trincão got to the point of staying in the gym after training to avoid going into the dressing room, in an attempt to hide their embarrassment.

OneFootball Videos

"For a few days, Trincão and I stayed in the gym after training because we were embarrassed to go into the dressing room with all those legends: Busquets, Piqué, Jordi [Alba], Leo [Messi]... We stayed there pretending we were stretching forever. I don't think I had ever managed to become so flexible. We did sit-ups, tied our boot laces really tightly or talked about how training had gone that day. We were blown away just to be there," he revealed in a piece published by 'The Players' Tribune'.

Pedri: "One day he came over to us. He must have realized what was happening and said, 'What are you doing there?'"

The strategy was eventually discovered by Messi. Pedri said the former Argentine captain approached the two of them, realized what was going on, and took them into the dressing room, where he showed them their respective places. "One day he came over to us. He must have realized what was happening and said, 'What are you doing there? Come inside with us.' He took us to the dressing room and showed us where our places were. We looked like two puppies..." Pedri recalled.

Since then, the two players' careers have taken different paths. Pedri has become one of the leading figures at Barcelona and for the Spanish national team, already making 249 appearances for the Catalan club and earning 49 caps at the age of 23. Trincão, meanwhile, currently plays for Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia, after a spell at Sporting marked by winning two national league titles and a Portuguese Cup.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.