Pedri: Failed Real Madrid Trial Taught Me Humility; Messi Was the First Player I Saw at Barcelona

Pedri looked back on his life and career in The Players' Tribune. From playing football in the basement of his grandfather's restaurant in Tenerife to stepping onto Barcelona's training ground at Camp Nou and meeting Messi. Before that, however, he had traveled to the capital to attend a trial with Real Madrid. It is an experience he has never wanted to forget.

Childhood in Tenerife

Pedri said: "My grandfather ran Fernando's tavern, which was a gathering place for the largest Barcelona supporters' group in the Canary Islands. Many local people who loved Barcelona would come here to meet. It was a traditional Spanish tapas restaurant, with wooden ceilings, wooden chairs and wooden counters. Everything was made of wood, full of a nostalgic atmosphere. Photos of our family hung on the walls, and of course, there were also photos of Barcelona players."

I grew up running between the tables in the restaurant. Every time my grandmother brought dishes to customers, she couldn't stand my brother and me playing around in the dining hall pretending to recreate World Cup finals. She worried that we would bump into customers or knock over tableware, so she would always send us down to the basement, which we jokingly called the "VIP room."

It was a tiny basement under the restaurant, normally used to store wine and various storage boxes. A large part of my childhood was spent in that small space, constantly kicking a ball against the wall. In fact, I was seven years old when the South Africa World Cup was held.

My father has a great perspective on life. When he was young, he was an excellent goalkeeper, but after my grandfather passed away, he had to give up his football dream and take over the restaurant. My father and uncle were the only two waiters at the shop until my older brother grew up and came to help as well.

To be honest, they never made me work at the restaurant. They saw something special in me and were willing to give me the chance to pursue football. After school, I was always allowed to go out and play. But there was one exception, that famous day! After closing time one day, I said to my father: 'Honestly, I really respect you and Pepe. I felt terrible inside.'

The Real Madrid trial

"That experience at Real Madrid did not suit my mentality. After one week, they sent me home. Some things simply were not meant to happen. Honestly, it taught me a valuable lesson and taught me humility. Everyone knew I had failed the trial, and going back home to face my friends was not a good feeling. But I will never forget that everyone in my family gave me tremendous support."

The funniest thing was that people in my hometown loved joking around. Facing this unsuccessful trial result, nobody deliberately comforted me or avoided the topic. They teased me about it: "Don't worry, your grandfather would never allow you to play for Real Madrid. He must have prayed to heaven, and then something went wrong that day!" Pedri recalled the kind-hearted jokes from people in his hometown after he returned from the trial at the white-clad club.

Arriving in Barcelona

"I remember my brother accompanied me on the flight to Barcelona. Neither of us had a driving license, so we could only take a taxi to the training ground. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we were required to put on our training clothes at home before going out. You can imagine me sitting in the back of an ordinary taxi, wearing Barcelona training gear, heading to the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper."

"After getting out, I walked to the security booth and said: 'Hello, my name is Pedri. I am here for training.' The guard signaled for me to enter, but I had no idea where to go. When I pushed open the door to the players' area, guess who I saw first. Truly, the first person I saw was Messi. He was standing right in front of me. I was speechless. I tried to introduce myself, but I do not even know what I said. Messi smiled at me, told me to relax, and took me to the dressing room."

"Trincao and I arrived at the team at the same time. For several days, we stayed in the gym after training because we felt too embarrassed to enter a dressing room full of legendary players: Busquets, Pique, Alba and Messi... We pretended to stretch endlessly on the side. I think my flexibility was better than ever during that period."

"We trained our abs, repeatedly tied our shoelaces, or simply talked about that day's training. Just being there was amazing. One day Messi walked toward us. He must have noticed how uncomfortable we felt and said: 'Hey, what are you doing here? Come in and join us.' Messi took us into the dressing room and told us where we could sit. We were like two timid puppies. I even asked: 'Here? I can sit here?'"

Fulfilling the promise with my father

"My father reminded me of the promise I made to him when I was young. I was always forgetful as a child. When I went to training, I could leave anything at home, from my boots to my shin guards. I only focused on the match, and sometimes I had to go back home to get things."

"He always joked about my forgetfulness: 'You have to become a footballer, so I can be your personal assistant. I will follow you everywhere, constantly reminding you and making sure you never forget your socks. Then I won't have to keep being a waiter, and we can travel the world together. That is our promise.' When I confirmed I could stay with Barcelona's first team, I excitedly told him: 'Dad, from now on it is your job to make sure I do not leave my Barcelona socks behind, OK? I cannot forget them at home during a Champions League match.'"

Goal celebrations

After the pandemic ended and fans returned to stadiums, I had no idea what to do with my hands during my first few goals. When I played for Las Palmas, I stuck out my tongue every time I scored, and my family always laughed at me for it. I did not even realize it was an instinctive action. So I thought: no, I cannot celebrate by sticking out my tongue at Camp Nou. My grandfather would say something if he found out.

So after scoring, I would open my arms and run toward the corner flag. I had no idea what to do. It was like playing FIFA, where there are many celebration moves but you do not know which one to choose. That was exactly how I felt. When I reached the corner, I was only thinking: someone please come and hug me quickly, otherwise I am going to embarrass myself. I really did not know what else to do. Later, during my first holiday back home, my family told me: 'Seriously, you need to come up with a better celebration. Yours looks too funny.'

World Cup champion

"After the final, I was finally able to take my father onto the pitch and play a penalty shootout game with him, with him standing in goal as the goalkeeper... I do not know how to describe this complicated and intense feeling in words. He sacrificed his own dream of playing football and carefully protected the family's restaurant business. He worked tirelessly day after day, allowing me to simply be a child, without worrying about making a living, and to freely play football and pursue what I loved. Now he can finally proudly tell everyone: my son has won the World Cup."