FC Barcelona is set to earn money if its injured midfielder Pedri is out for more than four weeks.
The number 8 tweaked his right quad back in March during the first half of a La Liga clash with Athletic Bilbao, and memorably left the San Mames pitch sobbing uncontrollably.
He was thankfully able to return to action and end a Barca season for the first time since his breakout campaign in 2020/2021, which also meant he could form part of Luis de la Fuente’s squad at the European Championship.
Yet similar scenes played out in Stuttgart at the start of a quarterfinal clash between Spain and Germany on Friday.
Just a few minutes into what was billed as the game of the tournament, Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos sent the 21-year-old flying into the air and shortly after had him leaving the action barely able to hold back tears.
Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) sources told Mundo Deportivo that Pedri appears to have sprained an internal lateral ligament in the left knee that smashed into the turf upon landing.
And while a now-retired Kroos has since apologized by asking his former Barca rival in El Clasico for forgiveness and telling him that he is a “great player”, Pedri’s involvement in the Euros has now ended meaning he can play no part in a last four showdown with France nor a potential final against one of England, Switzerland, the Netherlands or Turkey.
Anonymous medical sources explained to MD that Pedri could now be out of action for a month to a month and a half with the type of knock he has picked up, and as pointed out by rival publication SPORT, Barca could therefore receive money for that development.
Under FIFA Club Protection Programme rules, UEFA
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will have to pay Barca around $22,000 (or exactly €20,548 in euros) per day if Pedri is sidelined for more than a month.
Hopefully for Culers and Pedri’s new head coach Hansi Flick, six weeks would be the absolute maximum he is out for so that he can perhaps return at the start of the La Liga season which kicks off on August 17 away to Valencia in Barca’s case.
