“Why Not Dream?” — Barcelona’s Pedri Eyes Ballon d’Or Glory and Praises Rivals
SME News UK. Barcelona and Spain midfielder Pedri has revealed his ambition to one day lift the Ballon d’Or, inspired by national teammate Rodri’s historic 2024 triumph. The Manchester City star’s victory broke the dominance of forwards in the prestigious award, offering hope to midfielders across the game.”For a long time, this award was mainly given to strikers,” Pedri told *L’Equipe*. “Rodri’s victory proves that the role of the midfielder is finally being recognised. A lot of football is played in midfield — when a team dominates that area, it wins matches more easily. So yes, why not dream of winning the Ballon d’Or during my career? But to do that, we’ll need to have a very good season as a team.”The 21-year-old believes Barcelona’s quest to retain their La Liga title will be key to his chances, and he also weighed in on this year’s Ballon d’Or race. Pedri singled out Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembélé — both shortlisted — for their outstanding seasons.”Playing with them is a real pleasure,” Pedri said. “Lamine dares to take on defenders with incredible confidence, dribbles with ease, and is strong with both feet — you can’t even tell which is his favourite. This season he’s added a lot of goals to his game. As for Dembélé, he’s unpredictable and can attack from either side, which makes him so hard to defend against. He’s been decisive all year.”Pedri also acknowledged the talent within rivals Real Madrid’s squad, particularly Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé, while reflecting on Barcelona’s recent dominance in El Clásico.”Jude is truly impressive — he combines physical strength and technical skill, making him difficult to deal with,” Pedri noted. “In the last four Clásicos, we’ve contained him by controlling the game. We enjoy it most when we dictate the pace, rather than letting Jude, Vinícius or Mbappé run the show. And when Mbappé gets the ball one-on-one, he’s very hard to stop.”With the Ballon d’Or conversation heating up, Pedri’s mix of ambition, humility, and competitive fire highlights why he remains one of the brightest talents in world football — and a potential future contender for the sport’s ultimate individual prize.
