Ramon Planes was a crucial figure at Barcelona during his short stint at the club. Serving as the sporting director, Planes made some important moves.One of those moves was to sign a certain Pedri, wh...
Ramon Planes was a crucial figure at Barcelona during his short stint at the club. Serving as the sporting director, Planes made some important moves.
One of those moves was to sign a certain Pedri, who has now established himself as one of the best midfielders in world football.
In a recent interview with Onda Cero, Planes talked about the Saudi Arabian league, as he is currently the sporting director of Al Ittihad, and how they could potentially feature in the Champions League in the future.
But he also spoke about Pedri, notably dishing out praise on the Barcelona midfielder, who is thriving under Hansi Flick.
What Planes said about Pedri
Although Planes spoke about Pedri briefly, he did not shy away from praising the Spanish international, notably labelling him as Ballon d’Or material.
“He has all the makings of a Ballon d’Or winner,” said Planes (h/t MARCA), who had played a key role in convincing Barcelona to sign the player from Las Palmas.
Can Pedri win a Ballon d’Or during his career? (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Since then, the midfielder has appeared in 221 competitive matches for Barcelona, even recently breaking Lionel Messi’s record for being the youngest ever Barcelona player to make 150 La Liga appearances for the club.
Given the way he has performed under Hansi Flick, a Ballon d’Or certainly cannot be ruled out for Pedri in the coming years. But it would broadly depend on the club’s success.
Pedri recently finished the Ballon d’Or 2025 standings outside of the top 10 despite enjoying a defining season at Barcelona, where he got rid of his injury woes.
Not to mention, Pedri would also face stiff competition from his teammates, such as Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, both of whom were Ballon d’Or contenders despite Barcelona failing to win the Champions League.
Category: General Sports
