Heir to the throne– How Pedri can take forward the legacy of Andres Iniesta at FC Barcelona after acquiring the iconic No.8 jersey
Sarah Richards
Updated on March 31, 2026
The 2022–23 season will see Pedri wear the No. 8 shirt, Barcelona revealed on Friday.
Given the historic status of this number at Camp Nou, this is a significant move for the Catalan club and places the 19-year-old at the forefront of their long-term plan. Fans are enthusiastic about what Iniesta can do for Barca in the years to come because of the spiritual bond between him and Pedri, who once wore the No. 16 shirt.
But given Pedri’s performance since joining Barcelona, the chances of him succeeding as Iniesta’s No. 8 and leaving a lasting impression on the team seem to be in his favor.
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How similar are Pedri and Andres Iniesta?
To start the examination of the two players, we will first give a personal account of each, highlighting the structures that both footballers have that stand out.
When it came to coordination, Andrés Iniesta was a master at it while he was a player for FC Barcelona. When the ball was at his feet, the Spanish player was brilliant. Iniesta did not have a naturally gifted body that would enable him to outrun or outduel his opponents.
Pedri is equally as technically brilliant as Iniesta. Like the former, all of his acts are extremely precise and successful. Additionally, the current No. 8 for Barcelona possesses a very long stride over space that Iniesta hardly ever displayed.
Similar to the legendary Blaugrana player, Pedri often finds himself in advantageous situations to receive the ball. Knowing how to place oneself in small pockets is essential for midfielders to do while playing in a positional style of play like the one Xavi Hernandez likes to use.
Once they each get the ball, it is easy to see how similar they are to one another. Pedri knows exactly when to take chances in the pass and when not to, as we have shown in the case of Iniesta. Additionally, unlike Iniesta, Pedri is better at switching the play, allowing him to benefit from instances where he has a positional advantage on the opposing flank.
Similar to the legendary Blaugrana player, Pedri often finds himself in advantageous situations to receive the ball. Knowing how to place oneself in small pockets is essential for midfielders to do while playing in a positional style of play like the one Xavi Hernandez likes to use.
Once they each get the ball, it is easy to see how similar they are to one another. Pedri knows exactly when to take chances in the pass and when not to, as we have shown in the case of Iniesta. Additionally, unlike Iniesta, Pedri is better at switching the play, allowing him to benefit from instances where he has a positional advantage on the opposing flank.
The FC Barcelona Number 8 shirt:
Of course, it was the shirt that Andres Iniesta, one of the finest players to play for Barcelona, and midfielder who spent all of his years at the top level of the game with the club, wore with honor for so many years. He made around 700 appearances during this period and was a key member of the Pep Guardiola squad that won the European football championship.
At the age of 38, Iniesta is still active, competing for Vissel Kobe in the J League in Japan. However, he undoubtedly supports Barcelona’s choice to hand his No. 8 jersey to Pedri, who has been compared to him in style, from the other side of the globe. The 19-year-old has made an impression since moving from Las Palmas in 2019.
For the Catalan powerhouse, he has made 73 appearances, scoring eight goals and dishing out seven assists. Manager Xavi values player Pedri highly. Xavi, a legend of Barca and one of the greatest midfielders in history, thinks Pedri is the most gifted player on the globe.
