Pedro reveals tearful La Masia struggle and why he chose retirement

Pedro Rodriguez has revealed how homesickness, depression in his family and difficulties adapting to life in Barcelona made his early years at La Masia among the hardest of his football career.

The former Barcelona and Chelsea forward, who announced his retirement a few weeks ago, recalled the period in an interview reported by AS. He described the emotional difficulties he faced after leaving his family in Tenerife to join Barcelona’s academy, despite the move eventually setting him on the path to international success.

“At La Masia, a child goes through hard and difficult moments,” Pedro said. “There are things people do not see. When you reach the top, nobody talks about what you went through at the beginning.”

He said leaving home had also taken a heavy toll on his family.

“In the end, you are just a child and you are very far from your family,” he added. “My mother fell into depression when I left because I was the youngest in the family. It is difficult to say goodbye to your son.”

Pedro said the contrast between his life in Tenerife and Barcelona was profound. He had spent his days playing outside in Tenerife, but found himself struggling in a new city where he did not understand Catalan and was failing at school.

“The change was enormous and I had great difficulty adapting,” he said. “Suddenly, you find yourself shut inside a room. I remember calling my father several times while crying and asking him to take me away. I told him I was not happy there. It is a stage you have to go through.”

Support from team-mates who had faced similar experiences, including Victor Valdes and Andres Iniesta, helped him overcome that period and continue his development at Barcelona.

‘Nothing comes without sacrifice’

Pedro said the sacrifices had ultimately been worthwhile and rejected the idea that success was down to luck.

“If you want to achieve something great, you have to invest a lot of time and sacrifice certain things,” he said. “It is like studying medicine: you have to devote many hours to it. Nothing comes without a price. I do not believe in chance.”

“When I look back, I feel satisfied because all the sacrifices were worth it,” he added.

After his spell with Lazio, Pedro received offers to continue playing in Qatar, Dubai, Japan and Major League Soccer. However, he was not convinced by the prospect of starting another chapter outside Europe.

He said he preferred to retire while he was still satisfied with his career, believing he had given everything and retaining positive memories of his final period in Italian football.

Pedro also explained why he did not return to Tenerife, the club where he began his career, despite wanting to wear the island side’s shirt again.

“I had several conversations with Raiko, but what happened to me was similar to what happened with David Villa and Sporting Gijon,” he said. “They would have expected me to be the player I was at Barcelona, but I was no longer that player.”

“I never wanted to disappoint my family or the supporters. I wanted to wear that shirt, but I did not want to let them down. I was not in the physical condition required and did not feel ready to represent the island I belong to.”

Pedro identified playing alongside Lionel Messi as the greatest experience of his professional career.

“Playing with Messi is the greatest thing that happened in my career,” he said. “He is the best player in the history of football and it was a unique experience. Being able to tell my children that I played with him is extraordinary.”

Pedro won three Champions League titles and five La Liga titles with Barcelona, the Premier League with Chelsea, and also had spells with Roma and Lazio. He won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 with Spain.