Pedri 8 era begins: Barcelona fans thrilled after youngster gets Iniesta's iconic number

Ahead of the season 2022-23, Barcelona's sensational midfielder Pedri has switched from the number 16 to number 8, left by the departure of Dani Alves.

The midfielder's style of play has seen him earn plenty of comparisons with his 'hero' Andrés Iniesta, who occupied the same number from 2007 to 2018. If he can have half the success of Iniesta, the Camp Nou faithful will be very happy with Pedri's show.

Some of the other notable players to have graced the number 8 jersey at Barcelona include Guillermo Amor, Hristo Stoichkov, Albert Celades, Phillip Cocu, Arthur Melo and Miralem Pjanic.

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The young midfielder from Tenerife, who is already an essential player of Xavi Hernandez's team and the Spanish national team, will now wear the number eight shirt, and fans will be hoping it brings him luck as well.

Pedri won the Golden Boy award and the Kopa Trophy in his first season with the Catalan club, making him the second-youngest player to participate in 50 games with the first squad, just behind Bojan Krkic.

An injury limited his second season with Barcelona, although he was still a key player for club and country. Pedri will undoubtedly remain important for both teams in the future, but he will now wear the number 8 shirt for the Blaugranes.

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With number 8, Pedri has big shoes to fill and here's what fans of the La Liga giants have to say: