Paul Scholes named Pedri as his ‘new favourite footballer’ following Barcelona’s 2-1 win against Newcastle United in the Champions League on Thursday evening.
Marcus Rashford sealed Barcelona’s victory at St James’ Park with two goals in the second half, while Anthony Gordon found the net in the 90th minute to give Newcastle a glimmer of hope late on.
However, Barcelona’s dominance in possession extinguished any chance of a Newcastle equaliser in injury time and the Spanish champions were able to hold on to secure three points.
Pedri and Frenkie de Jong orchestrated Barcelona’s midfield throughout the game and Scholes was impressed by the performance of the 22-year-old Spain international against Newcastle.
During the match, the Manchester United legend posted a picture of Pedri in a Barcelona kit with the caption: ‘My new favourite footballer.’
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Jack Grealish, who is on loan at Everton from Manchester City, was also watching the Champions League tie at St James’ Park and admired the performances of Barcelona’s midfield duo.
The 30-year-old posted a picture of the game on Instagram along with the caption: ‘Pedri and De Jong are a joy to watch.’
Speaking after his side’s win, Barcelona head coach, Hansi Flick, claimed that Pedri and Frenkie de Jong were both key to escaping Newcastle’s heavy pressing approach.
‘With Pedri and Frenkie, it’s not easy to put pressure on us,’ Flick said.
‘I think they both played a very good game today. I’m happy that they’re playing with that confidence on this pitch.
‘We’re a very young team. What I can see is that the team is playing with confidence, and that’s very important.’
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