"Those are some despicably Messi-esque feints" - Barcelona fans love what their 'smart' and 'entertaining' player did against Galatasaray
Barcelona fans have likened Pedri to club legend Lionel Messi after his excellent goal against Galatasaray in the Europa League Round of 16 second leg on Thursday. The 2021 Golden Boy award winner produced a well-composed finish to help his team restore parity after Galatasaray opened the scoring through Marcao in the 28th minute.
Pedri's strike came just nine minutes later and reminded fans of how Messi enthralled them in the past. The 19-year-old midfielder received a pass from Ferran Torres before leaving two Galatasaray defenders on the floor inside the penalty area with his clever body feints.
The midfielder then buried his shot past Spanish goalkeeper Inaki Pena in goal for the hosts. As soon as Pedri found the back of the net, several fans on Twitter couldn't help but notice how strikingly similar he was to the Argentine great.
One fan tweeted:
"Those are some despicably Messi-esque feints by Pedri. Madness."
Here are some of the other reactions to Pedri's goal:
Pedri is beyond the “best young player in the world”, he’s one of the best *midfielders* in the world. So bloody good! https://t.co/O4W1jUIvZd
Pedri is just better than Foden, just because he doesn't dye his hair every month doesn't mean his worse.
Pedri is 19 Years old casually dropping defenders at the ground and coldly putting the goal inside the net😭😭
Barca have a gem in their hand… https://t.co/YKDDnSlgoq
Just like Iniesta, Pedri rarely scores but when he does my oh my.
Did you see Pedri's goal??
You could have him walk on hot coals and he'll make sure to keep it cool https://t.co/oJTS3W8uoa
Pedri is the most likeable youngster I know, what a smart and entertaining player to watch.
Pedri when there's an important match: https://t.co/SbzsOOiVlC
Those are some despicably Messi-esque feints by Pedri. Madness.
@CrewsMat10 Learnt from the best.💙❤️
Pedri is one of the most gifted young players of the new generation, displaying maturity well beyond his years for Spain and Barcelona. Notably, the young player was named the 'Best Young Player of the Tournament' at Euro 2020 and played almost 70 games for the Catalans last season.
Riding on the momentum established by Pedri's opening goal, the visitors have taken the lead against Galatasaray. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang found the back of the net in the 49th minute to edge the Catalans ahead in the Europa League Round of 16 tie.
Xavi's side held on to the lead and eventually progressed to the quarter-finals 2-1 on aggregate.
Barcelona heading in a new direction without Messi
Ever since it was announced last summer that Messi will not continue at Barcelona, a lot has changed for the player and the club. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has not enjoyed the best of starts to his PSG career. The Blaugrana were also knocked out of the Champions League group stages for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
However, the La Liga giants have shown signs of promise since the appointment of Xavi as head coach. The Spaniard is overseeing a tricky phase at the club, but has given a good account of himself so far. Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 11 games across competitions, winning eight of them. They have also made shrewd signings in the transfer window, which includes the likes of Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Adama Traore.
After the ongoing Europa League tie against Galatasaray, Barcelona face arch-rivals Real Madrid on Sunday in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu on 20 March.