Pedri talks Lamine Yamal, Xavi, Iniesta, Dembele, Ballon d’Or, PSG vs Barcelona | OneFootball

In a recent interview with L’Equipe, Barcelona midfielder Pedri talked about the recent Ballon d’Or nominees, including favourites Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal.

The young midfielder, who is fast becoming one of the best in the world, also talked about other things, including the possibility of a PSG and Barcelona final in the Champions League last season.

Pedri on Yamal and Dembele

First things first, Pedri talked about his former teammate Dembele, who is currently one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or next month.

“Ousmane Dembele is a player with tremendous potential. He plays with both feet. I still don’t know to this day whether he’s left-footed or right-footed. He has scored a lot of goals this season, which is something he’s not used to,” he said.

Pedri is well aware of Dembele’s game, having played with him for multiple years before his eventual move to PSG.

However, the youngster has also played with Yamal, the other favourite for the Ballon d’Or title. Talking about Lamine, the midfielder heaped praise on the young sensation.

“I was with Lamine for many years. He’s great in one-on-one situations, and he’s good at running with the ball too. In his dribbling, it seems as if he’s not exerting any effort, and there’s no one in front of him. We can say he enjoys playing,” he said.

Pedri has played with both Yamal and Dembele (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Pedri was also asked about the possibility of Barcelona reaching the Champions League final against PSG last season.

“PSG vs. Barça in the final? It would have been a very hard-fought final. The team with possession would have dominated the other. Nobody knows how it would have ended,” he said.

Pedri on his Ballon d’Or chances and Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets combo

The Barcelona midfield has finally found stability under Hansi Flick, with Pedri and Frenkie de Jong running the show in the middle of the park.

To add to it, Gavi has been in brilliant form in pre-season and may start more often next season.

However, despite this stability, Pedri believes the current Barcelona midfield has not yet reached the level of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.

“We are definitely not at the level of Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets. I hope we can reach their level someday, and what they did for our team and our national team. We are trying to play like them, but we still have a long way to go to reach them,” he said.

Finally, Pedri talked about his own chances at the Ballon d’Or, to which the midfielder offered a rather humble response.

“We had a fantastic season, and I think I performed at a good level. I hope to achieve a better ranking in the Ballon d’Or than I did in 2021,” he concluded.