Pedri reveals incredible story of grandfather’s Barcelona loyalty: “That’s bad luck for a Culé”
Despite not being from Catalonia, Pedri is as devoted to FC Barcelona as any of the club’s die-hard supporters. Growing up on the island of Tenerife, he was brought to love the Blaugrana by one special family member: his grandfather.
The dream of Pedri, who was surprisingly omitted from the 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist, and his grandfather came true in 2020 when he joined Barcelona from Las Palmas, and he has since developed into one of the best midfielders in the world. He also helped Spain win the 2026 World Cup in the summer, and this has allowed him to reflect on his journey so far.
He did so in The Players’ Tribune, in which he penned a letter to his grandfather, who passed away when he was young. He also recounted a story on the man’s extreme devotion to Barcelona, which occurred on the way back from watching the club at the Spotify Camp Nou.
“We were closer to the Sahara than to the Camp Nou, but for my grandfather, it was impossible to support any other club. He’d made sure of that. Whenever we mentioned Real Madrid in front of him, he’d always say: ‘No, I’ll die without ever setting foot in that city’. And he wasn’t joking. One weekend, he’d gone to watch Barça play at the Camp Nou with his friends. On the way back, they had a short layover in Madrid. When the plane landed, everyone got off. Except him. He just stayed seated in his chair. After ten minutes, the flight attendant came over: ‘Sir, are you okay? You need to leave the plane’. He replied: ‘Absolutely not. That’s bad luck for a Culé. Take me to Tenerife’. Then he suggested: ‘What if you bring me a wheelchair? That way, it doesn’t count, right?’ And they actually wheeled him all the way to the departure gate. My grandfather was really something else.”
Pedri is doing his grandfather proud
He may not have seen his grandson adorn the Blaugrana jersey, but there is little doubt that Pedri’s grandfather would be including proud of seeing the man – and player – the 23-year-old has become. He’s already etching his name into Barcelona folklore, and he will hope to follow in the footsteps of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and co. by the time he leaves.
