MADRID, 29 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish international and FC Barcelona forward Pedro González ‘Pedri’ has raised this Monday the Kopa Trophy, which rewards the best Under-21 player, during the Ballon d’Or gala, organized by France Football magazine at the Châtelet theater in Paris .
“I recently turned 19 years old, and the best way to celebrate it is to receive this award alongside the great footballers of the world. I want to thank Barça, the people who have supported me day by day, the coaches and the captains, who they made my stay in Barcelona easier, like Leo -Messi-; thank you for everything you helped me, “he said after collecting the award.
In addition, he thanked his “family” for the trophy. “They are the ones who are supporting me every day and giving me advice; they deserve it,” he said, without forgetting those affected by the La Palma volcano. “I want to give a special mention to the island of La Palma, which is having a bad time. All the support we give them is welcome,” he said.
In this way, the Canarian midfielder receives his recognition after reaching the semifinals of the Eurocup with Spain and the silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, as well as the Copa del Rey dressed as a Barça player.
Also nominated were Mason Greenwood, Bukayo Saka, Jérémy Doku, Ryan Gravenberch, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Jude Bellingham, Giovanni Reyna and Nuno Mendes.
Pedri completed his double nomination with a twenty-fourth place in the general of the Ballon d’Or among the 30 nominees, being the best-ranked Spaniard ahead of Villarreal striker Gerard Moreno, who finished twenty-sixth – tied with Inter player Nicolò Barella and Manchester City’s Ruben Dias- and Chelsea defender César Azpilicueta, twenty-ninth along with Real Madrid’s Croatian Luka Modric.