A day before Spain’s Round of 16 game against Morocco, Pedri sat down with Diario SPORT for a long interview sessions, where he talked about the enthralling final day in the group, along with Argentina’s qualification to the quarterfinals.
“Honestly, I didn’t realize when Germany got ahead on the scoreboard and we were seconds again. I was in anguish for the whole game, I asked the bench at the end and they told me that they were winning. It was a joy, but a stick for the result,” Pedri said when asked about the final group game
“I was looking at the scoreboard and when I saw that Costa Rica was second in the group and we were out. I was trying to encourage the teammates to look for the goal they scored,” he added.
Pedri also revealed what was said to him by Xavi Hernandez during his visit to Qatar recently. “He wished us luck before the games. He sent his message to all of us on the team. We didn’t see him in person, but he did send a message on the phone,” he said.
The Barcelona midfielder received a visit from Andres Iniesta as well. “I got a little nervous, yes, I didn’t know what to say to him, but he is a very normal person, how he looks from the outside and I am very proud to have met my idol.”
About what you enjoyed, the World Cups live very little, they are every four years and it is difficult to play them. You have to be at the highest level to be summoned,” he said when asked about the advice given to him by the former Barcelona superstar.
Meanwhile, Pedri revealed that he has not yet changed shirts with any opponent player just yet. But he would love to do so with Lionel Messi is the FIFA World Cup final.
“I changed it with David Raya, if it counts, because I wanted one of him. With the other teams, not yet”. When asked about one player he would like to change it with, he responded: “Leo’s, that’s how we would see each other in a hypothetical final.”
Pedri went on to talk about the Moroccan national team, Spain’s Round of 16 opponent. “It is a complicated rival, especially physically. It comes with very good results and you have to respect it,” he said.
When asked about the prospect of seeing Barcelona loanee Ez Abde, suggesting he has a lot of potential. “I’ll probably talk to him because we get along very well, although it’s true that I don’t talk too much on the phone. I laughed a lot when I was with us. Morocco is a team that is not very well known but with players with a lot of potential,” he said.
Pedri indicated his desire to score his first goal for Spain in this game, adding, “Yes, I want to score my first goal with the selection. If I keep it, I hope I get here, during the World Cup.”