Pedro recalls tearful calls to his father during his years at La Masia

“I called my father crying”: Pedro has revisited the difficult years he spent away from his family in Barcelona. In an interview reported by AS, the former player, who announced his retirement from football a few weeks earlier, described the psychological hardship he endured as a child at the La Masia academy.

Being separated from his family and adjusting to a new life in the city were among the hardest parts of his early career. “At La Masia, a child goes through difficult and painful moments. There are things people don’t see: when you reach the top, nobody talks about what you went through at the beginning,” he said.

Pedro also spoke about the effect the separation had on his family. “At the end of the day, you’re a child and you’re a long way from your family. My mother fell into depression when I left, because I was the youngest of the children in the family. It’s difficult to say goodbye to your son.”

The change also unsettled him in everyday life. He described a sharp contrast between Tenerife, where he spent his days outdoors, and Barcelona. He did not understand Catalan, struggled at school and found it hard to settle in. “All of a sudden, you find yourself shut in a room,” he recalled, before describing tearful calls to his father and asking him to take him away. He said he was unhappy there, while acknowledging that it was a stage he had to get through.

Support from teammates who had faced similar experiences, including Víctor Valdés and Andrés Iniesta, helped him overcome that period and continue his journey in Barcelona. Looking back, Pedro believes the sacrifices were worthwhile. He said that achieving something significant takes time and requires giving things up, adding that he does not believe in luck.

He also explained why he did not return to Tenerife, where his career began, despite wanting to wear the island club’s shirt again. He did not feel physically ready to represent it and did not want to disappoint his family and supporters. At the end of the interview, he also spoke about Lionel Messi: playing alongside him, he said, was the most memorable experience of his professional career.