Pedro (footballer, born 1987) facts for kids
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Pedro lining up for Barcelona in 2014
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 28 July 1987 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.69 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Winger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Lazio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–2004 | San Isidro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Barcelona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | San Isidro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Barcelona C | 71 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Barcelona B | 51 | (16) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2015 | Barcelona | 204 | (58) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Chelsea | 137 | (29) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Roma | 27 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Lazio | 115 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Spain U21 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2017 | Spain | 65 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Pedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma (born 28 July 1987), known simply as Pedro, is a Spanish professional footballer. He plays as a winger for the Serie A club Lazio.
Pedro scored 99 goals in 321 games for Barcelona between 2008 and 2015. In the 2009–10 season, he made history. He became the first player ever to score in every official club competition in one season. He also achieved this in a single calendar year.
In 2015, Pedro joined Chelsea. He scored 43 goals in 206 games for them. He helped Chelsea win the Premier League in 2017. They also won the FA Cup in 2018 and the UEFA Europa League in 2019. In 2020, he moved to Roma in Italy. The next year, he joined their city rivals, Lazio.
Pedro also played for the Spanish national team. He played in two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships. He won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2012.
Contents
Pedro: A Football Star
Early Days in Football
Pedro was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. He started his football journey at a local club called San Isidro. In the 2003–04 season, he scored 35 goals for their youth team. He also played for the senior team in a league called the Tercera División.
Barcelona first noticed Pedro in 2003. He was playing in a youth competition on his home island. Barcelona had sent a scout to watch another young player. In August 2004, Pedro joined Barcelona's youth academy.
Pedro became a key player for Barcelona B, which is Barcelona's reserve team. He helped them get promoted in the 2007–08 Tercera División season. He played 36 games and scored six goals. On 12 January 2008, he made his first team debut for Barcelona. He played for one minute in a 4–0 win against Real Murcia.
Playing for Barcelona
Becoming a Star (2008–2010)
Pedro was part of Barcelona's first team for the 2008–09 pre-season. He quickly showed his talent by scoring goals. On 13 August 2008, he started in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match. His first game in the main Champions League group stage was on 16 September.
In the 2008–09 season, Barcelona won three major trophies (a "treble"). Pedro played 14 games that season. He even came on as a substitute in the Champions League final against Manchester United.
In the 2009–10 season, Pedro made history. He became the first player to score in every official club competition in a single season. This included the league, cup, and European competitions. On 16 August, he scored his first goal for the first team. This helped Barcelona win the 2009 Supercopa de España. Later that week, he signed his first professional contract with the club.
Pedro scored the only goal in extra time in the 2009 UEFA Super Cup. This was against Shakhtar Donetsk. On 28 September, he scored his first Champions League goal. This was in a 2–0 win against Dynamo Kyiv.
On 16 December, Pedro scored in the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup semi-final. This made him the first player to score in six different club competitions in one year. He scored in the league, cup, Champions League, Super Cup, and Club World Cup. Pedro finished the 2009–10 season with 23 goals in 52 games. In June 2010, he signed a new five-year contract.
Winning Big with Barcelona (2010–2011)
Pedro was a regular starter for Barcelona in the 2010–11 season. On 29 November 2010, he scored in a huge 5–0 win against Real Madrid. This helped Barcelona reach first place in the league. The next month, he scored two goals against Espanyol in a local derby.
On 20 April 2011, Pedro scored in the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid. However, his goal was disallowed. Barcelona lost that game 1–0 in extra time. On 3 May, he scored against Real Madrid again in the Champions League semi-final. In the Champions League final, he scored the first goal against Manchester United. Barcelona won that final 3–1 at Wembley Stadium.
More Trophies (2011–2014)
On 5 July 2011, Pedro extended his contract with Barcelona until 2016. His release clause was increased to €150 million. Even though Barcelona signed Alexis Sánchez, Pedro still played a lot in the 2011–12 season. He scored 13 goals, including two in the Copa del Rey final. Barcelona won that final 3–0 against Athletic Bilbao.
Pedro scored three goals (a hat-trick) on 21 September 2013. This was in a 4–0 away win against Rayo Vallecano. On 22 December, he scored another hat-trick in just nine minutes. This helped Barcelona come back from 2–0 down to win 5–2 against Getafe. This was the fastest hat-trick in Barcelona's history.
A Treble and Farewell (2014–2015)
On 16 December 2014, Pedro scored another hat-trick in the Copa del Rey. Barcelona won that game 8–1 at home. On 4 June 2015, Pedro signed a new four-year contract with Barcelona. His release clause remained €150 million.
On 6 June 2015, Pedro came on as a substitute in the Champions League final. Barcelona won their fifth title by beating Juventus 3–1. This made Barcelona the first club to win the treble (domestic league, domestic cup, and European Cup) twice. Pedro was one of the few players who were part of both treble-winning teams.
Pedro scored the winning goal in extra time in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup. Barcelona won 5–4 against Sevilla on 11 August.
Moving to Chelsea
First Season and Premier League Win (2015–2017)
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On 20 August 2015, Pedro signed a four-year contract with Premier League champions Chelsea. The transfer fee was about £19 million. Three days later, he made his debut against West Bromwich Albion. He scored his first goal and set up another in a 3–2 win. On 19 December, Pedro scored his first goal at Chelsea's home ground, Stamford Bridge.
Pedro started the 2016–17 season on 20 August 2016. On 23 October, he scored the fastest goal of the season. It came in the first 30 seconds of a 4–0 win against Manchester United. He scored an important goal against Tottenham Hotspur on 26 November. This goal was later named the Premier League Goal of the Month. On 30 April 2017, he scored a great goal from 25 yards against Everton. This goal also won the Premier League Goal of the Month award.
Europa League Victory (2018–2020)
On 11 August 2018, Pedro scored his first league goal of the 2018–19 season. This was in a 3–0 win against Huddersfield Town. In his 150th game for Chelsea, Pedro scored the club's 1,000th Premier League goal at Stamford Bridge.
On 18 April, he scored two goals and helped with two more in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League semi-final. Chelsea won 4–3 on the night and 5–3 overall. On 29 May, Pedro scored in Chelsea's 4–1 win over Arsenal in the 2019 Europa League final. This made him one of only five players to score in both the European Cup/Champions League and UEFA Cup/Europa League finals. His goal in the Europa League final was his ninth goal in a final in his career. He was also included in the Europa League Team of the Season.
Pedro scored his first league goal of the 2019–20 season on 8 March 2020. This was in a 4–0 win against Everton. On 26 July, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard confirmed that Pedro would leave the club.
Time at Roma
On 25 August 2020, Pedro signed a three-year contract with Serie A club Roma. He played his first game on 19 September. He scored his first goal for Roma on 3 October in a 1–0 win against Udinese. After a good start, his performance was affected by injuries. He also had some disagreements with the manager. However, he scored in a 2–0 win against their city rivals, Lazio, on 15 May 2021.
Joining Lazio
On 19 August 2021, Pedro joined Lazio, Roma's city rivals. He signed a two-year contract. He was the first player since 1985 to move directly between the two clubs. On 21 August, he played his first game for Lazio. He scored his first goal against Roma on 26 September. This made him only the third player to score for both clubs in the Rome derby.
On 7 March 2023, he scored a goal in a 2–1 loss against AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League. This made him the first player to score in the knockout stages of all three current European club competitions.
On 25 July 2023, he extended his contract with Lazio for another season. On 4 October 2023, he scored his first Champions League goal with Lazio. This was in the final minute of a 2–1 away win over Celtic.
Playing for Spain
Pedro was chosen for Spain's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Nine days later, he played his first game for Spain. This was a 3–2 friendly win against Saudi Arabia. On 8 June, he scored his first international goal. This was in a 6–0 win against Poland.
Pedro played in five matches at the World Cup. In the semi-final against Germany, he started the game. Spain won the final 1–0 against the Netherlands. This was Spain's first World Cup win.
Pedro was also part of the Spain squad for UEFA Euro 2012. Spain won this tournament too. He came on as a substitute in the knockout stages, including the final. Spain beat Italy 4–0 in the final.
On 12 October 2012, Pedro scored his first hat-trick for Spain. This was in a 4–0 win against Belarus in a World Cup qualifier. He was also part of the squad that finished second in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored in a 2–1 win against Uruguay. Pedro was chosen for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but Spain did not get past the group stage.
How Pedro Plays
Pedro is a fast, clever, and versatile player. He can use both feet well. He usually plays as a left winger, but he can play on either side of the field. He can also play in other attacking or midfield positions. He is known for his speed, balance, and good technique. He is also good at dribbling and works hard to defend. Pedro is good at scoring goals and creating chances for others. He is known for his accurate shots, good passes, and crossing ability. He is also good at making runs behind defenders, which makes him dangerous on counter-attacks.
Pedro's Trophies and Awards
Barcelona B
- Tercera División: 2007–08
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15
- Copa del Rey: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15
- Supercopa de España: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
- UEFA Champions League: 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15
- UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011
Chelsea
- Premier League: 2016–17
- FA Cup: 2017–18
- UEFA Europa League: 2018–19
Spain
Individual Awards
- La Liga's Breakthrough Player: 2009–10
- Premier League Goal of the Month: November 2016, April 2017
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2018–19
Images for kids
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Pedro playing for Chelsea in 2015
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Pedro playing for Chelsea in 2019
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Pedro with Spain in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Pedro (futbolista) para niños
