Soccer
Thiago Alcantara believes there is no better midfielder in the world than Barcelona and Spain star Pedri, likening him to former Blaugrana great Andres Iniesta.
Pedri helped Hansi Flick’s side defend their LaLiga crown this season, having also played his role in Barcelona winning the 2022-23 title.
Adding in his Euro 2024 glory with Spain, Barcelona assistant Thiago struggled to see any player in the world who is better than Pedri in his position.
“Pedri – best midfield player for me in the world right now,” Thiago told the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
“When I was a player and played with him, and now that I am a coach, I have the same feeling that I had with Iniesta at that time.
“Of this plasticity while playing, like moving all the time diagonally, and while you’re moving, you see what’s happening around you and make the right decisions.”
Thiago rightfully points to Pedri’s movement and the amount of ground he covers – no player across Europe’s top five leagues made more than his 346 ball recoveries in 2025.
No Barcelona midfielder could match Pedri’s 43 successful tackles last season, nor his 225 recoveries of possession.
Indeed, Pedri has provided the perfect cover for Barcelona’s attacking riches that also includes Spain team-mate Lamine Yamal.
The first shirt. The first name. Lamine Yamal. pic.twitter.com/SjV7bnXlge
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 4, 2026
Thiago sees no reason why Yamal cannot become the best player in the world, having starred once again in the 2025-26 LaLiga competition.
He scored 16 goals and provided 11 assists in last season’s top flight, ending as the only player to have achieved double digits for both metrics in LaLiga.
“Yeah, he was about to last year, so why not?,” Thiago said about whether Yamal could become the best player in the world.
“Now with the World Cup, he’s playing well, he’s made a massive change for Spain and why not next year?
“I was on the pitch to train with him to see how good players are or what patterns they have, and talking about small-sided games, he made a difference in those games.
“You know when he’s on one side of the two or three teams, the team will win.”
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