Xavi recently likened Pedri to Andres Iniesta of Barcelona, but he has no reservations about his remarks.Pedri's motivation will be boosted even more by comparisons to Andres Iniesta, according to Xavi.
In midweek, Xavi made a reference to his former teammate Iniesta while praising Pedri.
Pedri has garnered parallels to Iniesta in the past due to his silky movement and deft passing, but Xavi was effusive in his praise of the teenager's abilities during Barca's 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao last week."It's fantastic to watch [Pedri] play because he understands the game so well," Xavi told reporters after the game. "He reminds me a lot of Andres Iniesta; I haven't seen many players with that kind of talent."
Barca's next match is against Elche on Sunday, and Xavi was questioned about his remarks on Pedri during the pre-match press conference.
While he regrets any backlash he's received since making such parallels, he believes they're completely justified.Xavi commented, "It came naturally to me to compare him to Iniesta."
"He reminds me of him, and he continues to remind me of him, and I don't think that's a coincidence." [However], I'm hurt by the criticism."
With Barca, Iniesta won nine LaLiga titles and was a major member of the treble-winning teams of 2009 and 2015.
In addition, the midfielder was a four-time Champions League winner and a two-time European champion with Spain. That's not to mention his game-winning goal in Spain's 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final.
Xavi, on the other hand, does not believe Pedri is terrified of being likened to a modern-day legend.
Xavi remarked, "Iniesta is the finest talent I've ever seen in the history of Spanish football."Pedri will be motivated as a result of this. I'm not terrified, and he isn't either. He's just a regular man."
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