Man United legend includes two Barcelona stars among world’s top five midfielders

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has once again made it clear that he is completely captivated by Pedri. 

Notably, after Barcelona’s opening Champions League game against Newcastle, Scholes revealed, “Pedri is my new favourite player.” 

His admiration for the Barcelona midfielder has only grown as he has watched more of his performances for the Blaugrana.

Pedri compared to Barça legends

On the podcast The Good, The Bad & The Football, Scholes delved deeper into why Pedri has impressed him so much. 

“The other day, when I posted about Pedri on Instagram, a lot of people asked me where I’d been for the last three or four years. 

“The truth is that I don’t usually watch too much Spanish football,” he explained. 

Despite his limited focus on La Liga, Pedri’s performances immediately caught his attention. Scholes continued, 

Paul Scholes also praised Frenkie de Jong. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“Against Newcastle, it was like putting Xavi and Iniesta together in one player. He took absolute control of the match. And we’re not talking about legs, it’s all in the head.”

It’s not just Pedri

The Premier League legend has now added Pedri to his personal list of the top five midfielders in the world, showing just how highly he rates the young talent. 

“My top 5 midfielders in the world? Pedri, Rodri, Vitinha, Mac Allister and Frenkie de Jong,” Scholes confessed as quoted by SPORT. 

Scholes’ praise adds to the growing list of accolades the young Barcelona leader is accumulating since the last season. 

Pedri is not only a key player for Barcelona but also one of the brightest young midfield talents in world football. 

The endorsement from one of England’s all-time greats reinforces the idea that Pedri is shaping up to be a once-in-a-generation player who could define Barcelona’s midfield for years.