Speaking in an interview with Beteve, Lazio winger Pedro Rodriguez has claimed that he would love to retire at boyhood club FC Barcelona, but admitted it would be difficult.
Pedro, 36, came through the ranks at Barça’s La Masia and went on to enjoy a stellar first-team career with the Catalan heavyweights.
The Spaniard went on to make 321 appearances, scoring 99 goals and registering 62 assists, before leaving for Chelsea in the summer of 2015.
Pedri open to Barcelona return
Since leaving Barcelona, Pedro has had stints at Chelsea and AS Roma, before ending up at Lazio in 2021.
The former Spanish international’s contract with the Italian outfit expires at the end of the current season and he admitted that he would be open to moving back to Barcelona if Xavi asked him to.
“If they ask me and Xavi calls me, before he hangs up and regrets it, I’ll come,” Pedro said.
“Barça is my home, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t defend 100% the club where I am now. Barça is my team, it’s very complicated for me to return, for many reasons, because of my age, but I would love to.”
“Retiring to Barça would be spectacular, but as I see it as distant and difficult, it’s something I don’t even consider,” the winger added.
Pedro on Xavi’s Barcelona
The former Barcelona winger was part of the team during their most successful phase and looking at the current setup, Pedro admitted that they are “in general terms doing well”, even though “the club is going through a delicate situation financially”.
Praising the young talent at the Catalan outfit, Pedri added: “There are young players with very good potential and talent, they will form the backbone of the team in a few years.”
Xavi has come under pressure in recent weeks due to some of Barça’s performances on the pitch. But much like Deco, Pedro also insisted that the former midfielder is the right man for the job.
“I have a lot of confidence in Xavi. He is a coach who gives his all, he has very good ideas about what he wants to do, which is to take Barça to the top as far as possible,” he said.
