Barcelona continued their upward curve under Xavi in recent weeks, and Pedri was at the forefront of everything good they did on Sunday night.
It had been a pretty tough start for Xavi back at the Nou Camp, defeats to Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao saw them knocked out of the Supercopa and Copa del Rey, respectively, and they were struggling in the battle to finish in the top four in La Liga.
Advert
However recent weeks, and the January signings, have seen the team start to turn things around and on Sunday they beat Bilbao 4-0 in the league.
It was their fourth win in the past five games in La Liga, since losing to Athletic in the cup, and it was the performance of Pedri that left fans purring.
The midfielder, who at the beginning of the season looked knackered after playing in the Euros and the Olympics, was back to his best, which is a scary level for a 19-year-old, and his personal highlights reel shows how he pulled the strings.
It wasn't just the fans praising the former Las Palmas player, and comparing him Andres Iniesta, with his manager even joining in with the comparison.
Advert
"He reminds me a lot of Andrés Iniesta," Xavi said of the youngster to reporters after the game, high praise indeed considering Iniesta was his midfield partner for so long.
"If we’re talking about pure talent, Pedri is the best in the world.
"He is a wonderful player. I haven’t seen many talents like him."
As well as Pedri, it was a good night all round for Barca, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continued his excellent form since moving from Arsenal at the beginning of the month to open the scoring, ending any doubt Xavi might have previously had.
Advert
Ousmane Dembele, who looked to be leaving the club in January, added the second, before the much maligned Luuk de Jong made it 3-0 in the 90th minute and Memphis Depay added the icing on the cake in injury time.
The win means the Catalan giants remain in fourth in the league, but are now just one point behind Real Betis in third, after they lost the Seville derby to Sevilla on Sunday.
Ryan Sidle