Spanish midfield star recalls grandfather’s extraordinary love for Barcelona: ‘Supporting another club was impossible’

Spanish midfield star recalls grandfather’s extraordinary love for Barcelona: ‘Supporting another club was impossible’ Barcelona are preparing to face Atletico Madrid in La Liga at the Metropolitano later today as they look to return to the top of the standings. Real Madrid provisionally moved into pole position after securing a 3-0 victory over Valencia, but Barça would return to the top with a victory or even a draw tonight. One of Hansi Flick’s most important players, not just for tonight but for his project as a whole, is Pedri. Pedri recalls growing up in a Barcelona household In an interview quoted by Diario SPORT , the Canary Islander spoke about his family’s connections with Barcelona. “There has never been a crazier football fan than my grandfather, I swear,” Pedri recalled, explaining just how passionate his family was about the club. “My grandfather ran Tasca Fernando, the biggest Barcelona supporters’ club in the Canary Islands,” he revealed. Pedri reveals how big a Barcelona fan his family was while growing up. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) The establishment was a traditional restaurant in Tenerife, filled with wooden furniture and photographs of Barcelona legends alongside family pictures. “We were closer to the Sahara than to the Camp Nou, but supporting another club was impossible,” the midfielder explained. Pedri also recalled spending much of his childhood playing football with his brother inside the restaurant, much to his grandmother’s frustration. “I grew up running between the tables,” he remembered, explaining how they were eventually sent downstairs to a small basement to avoid disturbing customers. “I spent a large part of my childhood down there, kicking the ball against the wall,” he added. A childhood dream that is only partially fulfilled Interestingly, Pedri revealed that his footballing ambitions had already taken shape by the time Spain won the 2010 World Cup. “I was seven years old when we won the World Cup in South Africa. That’s the perfect age to become obsessed, isn’t it?” he recalled. Pedri has partially fulfilled his career objective. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) The Barcelona midfielder grew up dreaming of lifting the World Cup with Spain and winning the Champions League with Barcelona. Pedri has already achieved one of those objectives, as he was part of La Roja ‘s squad that lifted the trophy this summer. Now, the 23-year-old midfielder’s next aim is to help his team bring the Champions League back to the Spotify Camp Nou . It has been more than a decade since Barça came close to lifting the elusive trophy, and it remains to be seen whether Pedri can help them break the rut later this season.