Pedro
Pedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma, known as Pedro, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Serie A club Lazio. Pedro scored 99 goals in 321 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona from 2008 to 2015. During the 2009–10 season, he became the first player in history to score in every official club competition in a single season and in a single calendar year. He joined Chelsea in 2015 where he scored 43 goals in 206 appearances and helped the club win the Premier League in 2017, the FA Cup in 2018 and the UEFA Europa League in 2019. He joined Serie A club Roma in 2020 and moved to their city rivals Lazio in 2021. Pedro represented Spain in two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships, winning the former in 2010 and the latter in 2012.
Did you Know?
This shirt was worn by Pedro during the Serie A game between Fiorentina and Lazio which took place in Firenze, “Stadio Artemio Franchi”, on October 10th 2022. Lazio defeated Fiorentina 4-0 and at the end of the game Pedro swapped his shirt with a Fiorentina’s player whom we got it from. The shirt is still unwashed and very recognizable from game’s footages. After playing for A.S.Roma, on 19 August 2021, Pedro joined Roma’s Derby della Capitale rivals Lazio on a two-year contract having been omitted from new Roma manager José Mourinho’s squad for their pre-season fixtures. He became the first player since goalkeeper Astutillo Malgioglio in 1985 to move directly between the two clubs. On 21 August, he made his debut in a 3–1 win against Empoli, and scored his first goal against Roma on 26 September, becoming only the third player to score for both clubs in the Derby della Capitale.
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Born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, Pedro started his career at local club San Isidro. He scored 35 goals for their youth team in the 2003–04 season, and also played for the first team in the Tercera División. He was first noticed by Barcelona in 2003 while playing at a youth competition on his native island; the club had sent a scout to watch Spain youth international Jeffrén Suárez. In August 2004, Pedro joined Barcelona’s youth team. Pedro was a key player for Barcelona B as the team achieved promotion in the 2007–08 Tercera División, making 36 appearances and scoring six goals. On 12 January 2008, he made his debut for the first team, playing one minute in a 4–0 home win against Real Murcia in the 2007–08 La Liga, but would only amass four more minutes in his only two appearances combined. Pedro was included by in Spain’s 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Nine days later, he made his debut in a 3–2 friendly win against Saudi Arabia, replacing David Silva for the final 30 minutes. On 8 June, in the last friendly prior to the start of the World Cup, Pedro scored his first international goal, in a 6–0 victory over Poland in Murcia’s Estadio Nueva Condomina. Pedro appeared in five matches at the World Cup, three of which came as a late substitute. On 7 July 2010, in the semi-final against Germany, he started in place of Fernando Torres, who had been performing poorly in earlier matches. In the 82nd minute, with Spain leading 1–0, Pedro attempted to score a goal himself rather than set up an unmarked Torres, although he performed well in the match.[76] Pedro started in the final at Soccer City in Johannesburg on 11 July, with Spain beating the Netherlands 1–0 after extra time to win the World Cup for the first time. Pedro was part of the Spain squad for UEFA Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, which they entered as defending champions. He did not appear in any of their matches in the group stage but came on as a substitute in each of their matches in the knockout stage. This included the final on 1 July, which he entered as a 59th-minute substitute as Spain beat Italy 4–0 at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv. Pedro scored the first hat-trick of his career on 12 October 2012 in a 4–0 away win over Belarus in a 2014 World Cup qualifier. He was part of the squad that came runners-up at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, scoring in a 2–1 opening win over Uruguay. He was chosen for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in the same country, a group-stage exit for the holders. At UEFA Euro 2016 in France, he attracted attention for saying that his substitute role was “not worth” his time. Pedro was not chosen for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, nor were his Chelsea teammates Álvaro Morata, Cesc Fàbregas or Marcos Alonso.
Did you Know?
A quick, versatile, and intelligent two-footed forward, Pedro usually plays as a left winger, although he is capable of playing on either flank, as well as in several other positions in both attack and midfield; he has often been used on the right flank with the Spanish national team. A nimble and diminutive player, he is known for his pace, balance, technique, dribbling skills, and defensive workrate, as well as his ability both to score and create goals, courtesy of his finishing ability, passing, crossing, and link-up play. Moreover, he is known for his ability to make runs in behind the opposing defence from the flank or drive forward, which makes him an attacking threat on counter-attacks.
