Javi turns the joke on Pedri in playful Mens Health cover exchange

Pedri’s prediction that Javi would never appear shirtless in a magazine has been proved wrong, after the Barcelona midfielder copied his team-mate’s earlier Men’s Health photoshoot.

Pedri is regarded as one of the world’s finest midfielders and is a close friend of Javi, who is seen as a central figure and a protective presence within the Barcelona dressing room.

According to Sport, the pair’s understanding and sense of humour have been clear for some time. After Spain won the World Cup, both players changed their hair colour. Pedri, who wears number 8, opted for pink, while number 6 Javi chose platinum blonde.

Pedri later appeared without a shirt in an October 2023 issue of Men’s Health. The photos showed a notably muscular physique, with defined muscles that were not usually visible when he played, when his smaller frame was more familiar.

In the interview published alongside that photoshoot, Pedri said Javi would not dare to appear shirtless for a magazine because he was very shy.

Three years later, Javi followed in Pedri’s footsteps by appearing in a similar way on the cover of the September 2026 issue. He used the opportunity to mock his friend.

“He didn’t even look like that in his dreams… and this was two years ago, or three years ago really, and now he is much worse,” Javi said, before accusing the Barcelona academy player and his friend of being “a big liar”.

Despite calling Pedri a liar, Javi admitted that his team-mate had been right to predict he would refuse to remove his shirt for a magazine appearance.

“That is true. I am very shy about some things,” Javi said. “With other things I am not, but appearing on the cover of a magazine without a shirt… that makes me feel even more embarrassed. On that specific point, he is not lying.”

Javi also explained how his attitude had changed since Pedri made the original comment.

“In the end, I did it. Now I do things that I didn’t do two or three years ago,” he added. “I was much shyer about certain things. Two years ago, I probably wouldn’t have been here talking.”