FC Barcelona is still alive in all competitions and has the opportunity to win a treble again. At the moment, it seems that the Ballon d'Or is highly contested, with no clear favorite to win it, but Maldini has now put a name on the table: Pedri. The Movistar+ commentator believes that the Canary Islander has a chance to win this individual award, provided that a condition he considers essential is met.
Maldini Gives Pedri Chances for the Ballon d'Or
Maldini, in statements to Sport, has pointed to Pedri as the best of Barcelona this season. "Pedri, as much as Lamine Yamal is a phenomenon and generates a lot of danger, is at a supreme level. He is the most important player of this Barça because he is the generator of soccer. He allows you to dominate clearly and recovers many balls," he pointed out.
In this regard, he continued: "Very little is said about him. He is the one who does the most perfect things in different areas. He can be at the base because he is playing in the double pivot, sometimes, even, De Jong is put ahead of him. He reaches three-quarters of the field, gives goal passes, long passes, short ones... He is the perfect organizer, the most complete there is."
Referring to the Ballon d'Or, he said: "There is talk of Raphinha, logically, there is talk of Dembélé, because he is excelling, the same with Lamine Yamal... But I don't understand why Pedri is not included in the Ballon d'Or shortlist. He must be included."
Maldini continued: "It will depend a lot on what happens. If Barça wins the Champions League, Cup, and League, I give Pedri quite a few chances, even though Raphinha's numbers are phenomenal. The Champions League will dictate if PSG triumphs, then Dembélé is the great candidate, because Salah lost his chances when he was eliminated."
Finally, he concluded: "Let's not rule out that if there is a treble, there could also be one on the podium, with Pedri, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha."
Historic Image in the Ballon d'Or
A few years ago, three Barça players trained at La Masia, like Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta, were the finalists for the Ballon d'Or. This year, there could be another historic image, but with different protagonists.
If Barcelona wins the treble, the Ballon d'Or will be very possible for one of its players. Meanwhile, in the women's category, Alexia Putellas aims to repeat her triumph. This would mean that, for the first time in history, the same team would have the best in the world in both male and female categories. Quite something...