Pedro Rodríguez: Farewell after 20 titles

The Canary Islander leaves the club are playing a part in both trebles and scoring 99 goals in 321 games

It was in 2004 that Pedro Rodríguez joined FC Barcelona from his hometown club of CD San Isidro on the island of Tenerife. He was 17 at the time and from the U18 side soon progressed through Barça B to the first team, going on to play a role in the greatest era in the history of the club, and winning an amazing 20 major titles, including two trebles.

Big break

Without making a huge song and dance, and known at the time as ‘Pedrito’, the Canary Islander made his first team debut in the 2007/08 season under Frank Rijkaard. Impressed by what the striker had been doing with the reserves, the Dutchman handed him his first chance in a league game against Murcia, sending him on at the Camp Nou as a substitute for Samuel Eto’o.

But it was not until the 2008/09 season, with Pep Guardiola now in charge, that he became a first team regular, although at first he combined this with appearances for Barça B. Pedro gradually became a more permanent feature in first team line-ups, to the extent when Barça set an unprecedented record by winning all six major trophies in 2009, Pedro also became the first player to score in all those tournaments.

Crucial goals

Never shy of rising to the big occasion, Pedro scored some of Barcelona’s most crucial goals in his time at the club, such as the winner in the 2009 European Super Cup against Shakhtar Donetsk, the last minute equaliser against Estudiantes in the 2009 Club World Cup Final, the opening goal against Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League Final at Wembley and, much more recently, the winning goal in the dramatic 5-4 defeat of Sevilla to win the European Cup in Tbilisi.

Pedro Rodríguez scored a total of 99 goals in 321 official appearances for the Barça first team, and leaves with a trophy haul of 20 titles: 5 Ligas, 3 Champions Leagues, 3 Copas del Rey, 3 European Super Cups, 4 Spanish Super Cups and 2 Club World Cups.

He is also a regular member of the Spanish national team, who he helped to victory at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland.

Source: http://ift.tt/1NnmLIg