Barcelona midfielder Pedri has insisted that he values the appreciation of fans more than any recognition offered by the Ballon d’Or, even if plenty of lofty figures in the sport are outraged on his behalf.
Despite orchestrating Barcelona’s clean sweep of domestic titles last season with a consistent string of mesmeric midfield performances, Pedri didn’t crack the top 10 of this year’s Ballon d’Or vote. Seeing the 22-year-old schemer end up in 11th place, below both of Paris Saint-Germain’s fullbacks and Chelsea’s mercurial talisman Cole Palmer, was a surprise for many. But Pedri wasn’t fussed.
