Spanish World Cup winner and former Barcelona winger Pedro Rodríguez announced his retirement from football on Wednesday at the age of 39.
Pedro, who won the 2010 World Cup with Spain, enjoyed a glittering career with Barcelona, winning three Champions League titles and five La Liga crowns with the Catalan giants.
Two of his Champions League triumphs came in 2009 and 2011, when he was a key member of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side that dominated European football.
He later won the Premier League with Chelsea before spells at Roma and Lazio, his final club.
“I feel that the moment has come. The moment to take a step forward and begin a new stage in my life,” Pedro said in a post on social media.
“I leave proud of having lived my dream and of all the people who were by my side to make it come true.”
Born in Tenerife, Pedro joined Barcelona’s youth academy as a teenager and made his first-team debut in 2008.
Under Guardiola, he quickly established himself as an important member of the team that made history in 2009 by becoming the first club to win six major trophies in a calendar year.
Pedro scored in Barcelona’s 3-1 Champions League final victory over Manchester United in 2011 and finished his career at the club with 99 goals in 321 appearances. During his time at Camp Nou, he played alongside stars including Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández.
“Being part of the best Barca side in history was a privilege. We won everything and amazed the world,” Pedro said in a farewell video.
His success also extended to the international stage. Pedro was part of the Spain squad that won the country’s first World Cup in 2010 and also lifted the European Championship in 2012.
“One day, almost without believing it, I became a world champion and a starter in a World Cup final,” said Pedro, who earned 65 caps and scored 17 goals for Spain.
Pedro joined Chelsea in 2015 and helped the London club win the Premier League in 2017. He also won the FA Cup and Europa League during his four seasons at Stamford Bridge.
He subsequently moved to Italy, playing for Roma before joining Lazio. His final appearance came for Lazio, whom he left at the end of last season after making more than 200 appearances for the Serie A club.
Pedro leaves the game with a career defined by major trophies at both club and international level, having played alongside some of football’s greatest players during one of Barcelona’s most successful eras.
