Former coaches praise Barcelona youth prodigy – ‘Similar to Iniesta’, ‘Talent of Thiago’s level’

Pedro Fernandez Sarmiento, better known as ‘Dro’, is the latest sensation from La Masia, who is beginning to make waves in preseason under new coach Hansi Flick.

Just 16, Dro is the second-youngest player among the 35 who have started training under the German tactician.

A creative attacking midfielder with flair, intelligence, and an impressive maturity, Dro is already drawing comparisons to Barça legends such as Iniesta, and his first coaches believe the sky’s the limit.

Dro hails from the Val Minor School in Nigran, where he spent nearly a decade training before joining the Barcelona academy.

Former coaches heap praise on Dro

In a recent interview with SPORT, Javi Roxo, one of the coaches at the Val Minor School, has heaped praise on Dro’s ability.

“The first time I saw Dro, he was four years old, and ten minutes after arriving at the pavilion, he left in tears,” he said.

“Dro is a very loving and kind person with a fantastic family,” he added.

Dro took his first steps at the Val Minor school in the mini-league, playing in a pavilion with Pedro Villar, his current teammate at La Masia.

“The two Pedros allowed us to win many games and compete against Celta. Dro made the difference from a young age as he did different things. Villi started the plays, and with Dro they ended dangerously,” Roxo recalled.

According to Roxo, the Barça youngster has managed to retain his core identity as a player.

“I see him play at Barça and it’s true that they’ve added details to his game and that he’s grown a lot physically, but the essence of his football remains the same; he plays with the same confidence as when he was a child,” he said.

Roxo also coached brothers Thiago and Rafinha Alcantara during their early years and offers glowing praise of Dro’s talent.

“Dro is a talent of Thiago’s level. I have not seen anyone as technical as Thiago, but Dro’s vision of the game is even superior.”

Another long-time coach from Val Minor, Luis Perez, trained Dro through the under-10s and under-12s and echoes the admiration.

Dro is making waves in pre-season. (Photo courtesy: X/FCBMasia)

“Dro was always very special. He has a gift for touching the ball and has always been very creative.He decided on football because when he was very young, everyone wanted to see him play.”

Both Luis and Roxo went on to highlight Dro’s work ethic and humility, adding, “Dro was never selfish and followed the instructions we gave him even though with him it was almost unnecessary to say anything.”

“Although outside of football, he is very cheerful, in training and matches, he is very responsible and perhaps too self-demanding. We insisted that it was normal to fail, but he was never satisfied with his errors.”

They went on to even compare Dro to Andres Iniesta, while acknowledging the comparisons with Pedri.

“He is very technical, and although his right foot is good, he also dominates with his left. Dro has a good header, and the best thing is his vision of the play and his start-to-finish offensive actions,” Perez said.

“Although there are those who compare him to Pedri, I see more of Andres Iniesta in him.”

When asked about Valeron, they said, “Valeron was very good but perhaps a bit slow, and Dro is more agile, although his vision of the game could be similar.

“Dro is capable of everything, and if Flick puts him as a winger, he could also do well. He won’t be Raphinha, but he could be similar to Iniesta who played on the left.”

Finally, the coaches had a message for Dro. “If he takes the pressure off and plays freely, he’s capable of anything; his talent is endless,” they concluded.