After being knocked out of Euro 2020 in the semi-finals, Spain will be hoping this winter’s World Cup will have a happier ending.
But there is one player from that team who was knocked out by Italy that fans should watch out for in Qatar.
That star is teenage sensation, Barcelona central midfielder Pedri.
The majority of the players who made up the Spanish team that won the World Cup in South Africa 2010 have hung up their boots.
This includes Pedri’s boss at Spanish giants Barca – ex-midfielder Xavi.
Having helped beat the Netherlands 1-0 to claim the country’s first-ever world title in 2010, Xavi can clearly see the potential in his young star, both for Barca and their country.
And in his short international career, Pedri already has an international tournament, a major semi-final and a record for his country under his belt.
So how did the teenager break into the Spanish national team and what can fans expect from him at the World Cup?
Road to Camp Nou
Born in Tenerife, Pedri began his youth career at local club Tegueste. A six-year stint at Juventud Laguna followed before joining Las Palmas from the Segunda Division.
After making his senior debut in August 2019 aged 16 and later becoming the club’s youngest ever goalscorer, it took Barca just a month to get going and reach a deal that would be effective in July 2020.
Since his big move, the youngster has gone from strength to strength, signing a new long-term deal with Barcelona in October last year which comes with a mammoth €1 billion release clause.
Pedri has already made 91 appearances, scored 11 goals and provided seven assists for the La Liga giants in just over two years.
And in less than a year at Camp Nou, the teenager received his first call-up to the Spanish senior team.
Rise to the national team
Spain were heading into the group stage of their 2022 World Cup qualifiers when Luis Enrique could no longer ignore Barca’s newest starlet and called him into his squad.
And Pedri made his debut in the 1-1 draw with Greece, replacing Dani Olmo after an hour.
After being selected in the 24-man squad for Euro 2020 and starting against Sweden, Pedri broke the record for the youngest Spanish player to represent them at a European Championship at 18 years, six months and 18 days.
Pedri looked far from a fish out of water in the tournament, playing all but one minute.
It was in the semi-final against Italy that he shone the brightest, as he completed 65 of his 66 assists as he dissected the Italian defense before the tie was forced on penalties.
After the tournament, he beat England’s Jude Bellingham to win the European Golden Boy, earning the victory with a record 199 points.
He was also the only Spanish player to be named in the Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament and won the Youth Player of the Tournament award.
The young midfielder finished the 2020/21 campaign with the most appearances in all of Europe, played 73 games across the campaign including the Olympics.
Gameplay style
As Qatar 2022 approaches, it’s almost frightening to think how good Pedri could be now against Spain’s opponents given his performance against Italy last summer.
Compared to Barca and Spain legend Andres Iniesta by Xavi, Pedri operates in midfield but is a fluid player, capable of dropping deep and wide to either flank.
Initially a winger, Pedri is today the perfect playmaker for his country.
And if he can emulate midfield performances like Iniesta and Xavi in 2010, Spain are on the verge of winning.
Pedri started in the 7-0 thrashing of Costa Rica in their first World Cup group game and the next game is Germany on Sunday.
talkSPORT World Cup 2022 coverage
talkSPORT will provide wall-to-wall coverage of the 2022 World Cup
We will broadcast all 64 matches of the tournament live, with over 600 hours of coverage on our network.
You can tune into talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2 via our free online streaming service at talkSPORT.com.
talkSPORT is widely available across the UK via DAB digital radio and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
You can also download the talkSPORT app or ask your smart speaker to play talkSPORT.