The surprising record that Pedri González leads in LaLiga, placing him in the 'top 3' in Europe

Pedri González has taken it upon himself this 2024-25 season to break the mold in which he was only seen as a midfielder involved in playmaking and assist duties. The player from Tegueste has shown a little-known facet of himself this season by being physically fit and free from injuries, becoming a player heavily involved in defensive duties.

In fact, Pedri González appears more established than ever in a completely unexpected record for the playing profile he had demonstrated in previous seasons. The '8' is currently the best ball recoverer in LaLiga EA Sports, having recovered a total of 166 balls in 26 matches played (2,028'), with an impressive average of six balls recovered per match.

The talented Barça midfielder, who has accumulated five goals and six assists, leads his closest competitor by 19 ball recoveries, the defender from Valencia CF, Cristhian Mosquera, with 147 recoveries in 27 matches (2,420'). Completing the podium is another defender, the right-back from RCD Mallorca, Johan Mojica, with 141 recoveries in 26 matches (2,109').

Pedri González is one of the cleanest ball recoverers in LaLiga EA Sports

Moreover, Pedri González, despite being a natural ball recoverer and maximizing his defensive facet, is not a clumsy player when executing those recoveries. The former player of UD Las Palmas has committed only nine fouls in 26 matches, being the third player with more than 25 matches played with the least number of fouls committed, just behind his teammate Raphinha with seven and Federico Valverde from Real Madrid also with nine.

The '8' culé is also one of the best ball recoverers in Europe

Similarly, when talking about recoveries in the five major European leagues, he is the third-best ball recoverer, only behind two players from the Premier League. These are Ryan Christie from AFC Bournemouth with 172 and Moisés Caicedo from Chelsea FC with 170, surpassing Pedri González by a narrow margin.