Former Real Madrid star Toni Kroos has declared Barcelona\'s Pedri \"the best midfielder in the world\" and more important to the Catalan club than their prolific attacking trio of Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and Raphinha, according to comments on his podcast Einfach mal Luppen.
The German World Cup winner, who retired last summer after a decorated career with Real Madrid, praised the 22-year-old Spanish midfielder despite Barcelona\'s traditional rivalry with his former club. Kroos\'s comments come as Barcelona remains in contention for a treble under manager Hansi Flick.
Pedri has overcome previous injury concerns to make 54 appearances this season, contributing six goals and seven assists across all competitions. His availability has been crucial for Barcelona\'s title push in LaLiga, where they currently hold a four-point lead over Real Madrid.
Champions League Impact
Barcelona will rely on Pedri again Tuesday when they travel to Inter Milan for the second leg of their Champions League semifinal, following last week\'s 3-3 draw at the Olympic Stadium.
\"In the Champions League, he\'s better than his opponents in every game,\" Kroos said. \"In LaLiga, the difference [between him and his opponents] is only more extreme. If you lose a player like him, you will notice.\"
Kroos specifically highlighted Pedri\'s unique ability to navigate tight spaces, a quality he experienced firsthand during Madrid-Barcelona clashes.
\"For me, a player like Pedri is more important than Lamine Yamal, Raphinha or Lewandowski,\" Kroos said. \"They may decide the results of matches, but to do that, Pedri is currently the best player in the world in his position.\"
\"He\'s one of the few midfielders in his position that has the ability to beat dribble past players when there is no space. A player like Pedri helps you in every area of the game.\"
The praise is particularly notable ahead of Sunday\'s potentially title-deciding El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Despite Yamal, Lewandowski and Raphinha combining for an impressive 86 goals this season, Kroos insists Pedri\'s contribution goes beyond statistics.
\"He doesn\'t just score goals or provide assists, he offers solutions,\" Kroos said. \"I experienced it myself, once especially. He demolished us [Madrid] at home. Once or twice I thought I could get to him, because he doesn\'t look so quick, but he dribbles so well and I couldn\'t even stop him with a foul.\"