Pedro Makes Instant Impact For The Blues
Personal information
Full name: Pedro Eliezer Rodriguez Ledesma
Date of birth: 28 July 1987
Age: 28
Place of birth: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
Height: 1.67 m (5 ft 5 1⁄2 in)
Playing position: Forward/Winger
Club information
Current team: Chelsea
Number: 17
Youth career
2003 – 2004: San Isidro
2004 – 2005: Barcelona
Senior career
2005 – 2007: Barcelona C 70 Appearances, 10 goals
2007 – 2009: Barcelona B 55 Appearances, 17 goals
2008 – 2015: Barcelona 321 Appearances, 99 goals
2015 – Chelsea 1 Appearance, 1 goal
National team
2008: Spain U21 2 Appearances, 2 goals
2010 – Spain 51 Appearances, 16 goals
Chelsea new boy Pedro arrived at his new club in style after getting a goal and an assist on his debut against West Brom to claim the Man of the Match award after a 3-2 victory. The former Barcelona forward, who had struggled to get into a starting line up that already featured Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez at the Nou Camp, had looked likely to sign for Manchester United before he was poached by Jose Mourinho. And Chelsea fans certainly weren’t shy of reminding us all of that fact. While the fans in the stands sang “Are you watching Manchester?” most of Twitter was either queuing up to mock Louis van Gaal’s side for failing to sign their top transfer target. Of course, many also simply posted to congratulate Pedro on a great performance.
Chelsea confirmed the signing of Pedro from Barcelona last week Friday in a deal that could rise to £21.4m. Pedro, 28, had appeared to be on his way to Manchester United before the deal fell through. The winger, who can also play as a central striker, told Chelsea’s official website: “I am very happy to be here. I am very excited to start my adventure at Chelsea and I am here to keep winning titles. Thanks to the club and the supporters for giving me the opportunity to put the blue shirt on.”
It was in 2004 that the Spanish international, whose full name is Pedro Eliezer Rodriguez Ledesma, joined Barcelona from his hometown club of CD San Isidro on the island of Tenerife. He was 17 at the time when he was picked up by scouts at Barcelona who drafted him straight into the C team and from there he soon progressed through Barça B to the first team, going on to play a role in the greatest era in the history of the club, and winning an amazing 20 major titles, including two trebles. Without making a huge song and dance, and known at the time as ‘Pedrito’, the Canary Islander made his first team debut in the 2007/08 season under Frank Rijkaard. Impressed by what the striker had been doing with the reserves, the Dutchman handed him his first chance in a league game against Murcia, sending him on at the Camp Nou as a substitute for Samuel Eto’o.
But it was not until the 2008/09 season, with Pep Guardiola now in charge, that he became a first team regular, although at first he combined this with appearances for Barça B. Pedro gradually became a more permanent feature in first team line-ups, to the extent when Barça set an unprecedented record by winning all six major trophies in 2009, Pedro also became the first player to score in all those tournaments. Never shy of rising to the big occasion, Pedro scored some of Barcelona’s most crucial goals in his time at the club. His brilliant performances at club level saw him secure a place in the Spain squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Pedro started both the semi-final and final, and was a key figure in their victory over the Netherlands. A year later he scored the opening goal in the Champions League final at Wembley as Barςa beat Manchester United 3-1. He was a substitute alongside then Chelsea players Fernando Torres and Juan Mata in Spain’s Euro 2012 victory over Italy. The winger was also part of the squad which travelled to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup. Pedro came on as a late substitute in Barcelona’s most recent major success – May’s Champions League final win over Juventus in Berlin. He concluded his time at the Catalan club in the most memorable manner, scoring the winning goal in their 5-4 UEFA Super Cup triumph over Sevilla.
The Spaniard possesses a natural goalscorers instinct and arguably runs more than the rest of the team when he is on the pitch. Technically, he is a solid passer of the ball and has an impressive assist record. He is a forward-thinking player who will always strive to get the ball forward – and for that reason, fitted perfectly into Barcelona’s plans. The Spaniard arrives as a highly coveted winger who can also play as a central striker and is proven at the very highest level. Pedro scored a total of 99 goals in 321 official appearances for the Barça first team, and leaves with a trophy haul of 20 titles: five La Liga’s, three Champions Leagues, three Copa del Rey’s, three European Super Cups, four Spanish Super Cups and two Club World Cups. The Spanish maestro proved against West Brom that he still has plenty to offer and under the tutelage of the ‘Special One’, this could just be the title deciding signing of the season.
