The next Lionel Messi is out there, and Barcelona have gone back to the well so to speak. Young, small, and Argentine, this time the player of the future is named Pedrito Juárez and he had a similar path as the great Argentine World Cup winner.
Pedrito Juárez was born in Salta, Argentina on the 17th of February 2014, at only 10 years old he is considered already to be a huge prospect for the future. The young Juárez spent two years in his native Argentina before his family moved to the United States in California, due to his father taking a job offer there.
The family resided in the United States until 2020, when they moved to Barcelona due to Pedrito Juárez’s mother pursuing a career as a psychologist.
About Pedrito Juárez
Since arriving in Spain, Pedrito Juárez has played for Atlètic Sant Just, a local club. The young boy was spotted by Barcelona scouts and they offered him a trial, he passed with flying colors and is now a part of La Masia.
In the last few weeks, Juárez has won two titles in his age group, standing out as the standout player. Former Argentine goalkeeper and coach Jorge D’Alessandro told journalist Diego Yudcovsky, “I was at a tournament for the 2014 age group the other day, Barcelona won, it’s crazy how they play. There’s a spectacular Argentine kid; by the way, I already informed the AFA so we can be attentive and not let the kid slip away, so they don’t take him from us. He’s from Salta, a midfielder.”
“He’s a playmaker, he moves the pieces, he’s a kid who has a gift. Let’s not compare him to Messi, he’s a total football player. He has a peripheral vision of the game, a kid with that ability to make decisions and to determine at every moment what the right pass is… That’s a gift. We’re looking at a player of the future,” concluded D’Alessandro.