EM 2021: Spain’s young star Pedri named best young player – successor to Renato Sanches
pedri
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A great honor for Pedri: The 18-year-old Spaniard was named the best young player at the 2021 European Championship.
Spain’s shooting star Pedri has been named the best young player of the 2021 European Championship by UEFA. The association announced this after the final on Sunday. Pedri succeeds Portugal’s Renato Sanches, who received the award at the 2016 tournament. All players born on or after January 1, 1998 were eligible for the award.
UEFA praised the young star’s “majestic performance”, especially in the semi-final against Italy. After the game that was lost on penalties, Spain coach Luis Enrique ennobled his protégé. “What Pedri did at this tournament when he was 18, nobody has done before, not even Andres Iniesta. It’s incredible and unique,” said Enrique.
Pedri with outstanding numbers at the EM 2021
Pedri, who moved from UD Las Palmas to FC Barcelona in 2020, only missed a single minute in the course of the tournament when he was substituted in the quarter-finals against Switzerland before the penalty shoot-out. The midfielder created eleven chances over the course of the tournament and had 317 successful passes in the opposing half – more than any other player.
The election was carried out by UEFA’s “Technical Observers”. The 16-person committee also includes Steffen Freund, Fabio Capello and David Moyes.
