Jamie Carragher needed only 20 minutes to decide that Pedri was the best player of the World Cup so far.
The Barcelona star was Spain's conductor from the middle as they picked apart Costa Rica in their opening game. The 2010 champions ran riot against their South American opponents with three goals in the first 45 minutes as they looked to lay down an early marker.
Pedri was central to everything good about Luis Enrique's side as Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and Ferran Torres all scored. Carragher was clearly impressed with the 19-year-old, who was equally as impressive at the Euros last summer.
The pundit tweeted: "Pedri is the player of the tournament so far!" That prompted his former Liverpool teammate, Luis Garcia, to add: "Glad to hear that. Looks so easy what he does when on the ball and it's the most difficult thing in football, always the right decision!!"
Torres got a second before Gavi, Carlos Soler and Alvaro Morata also netted as Spain ran riot to record a 7-0 win. Pedri started in midfield alongside Barcelona team-mates Gavi and Sergio Busquets. The aforementioned two are set to command midfield roles for club and country for the next decade and yet are already integral to their country.
"Pedri is a unique player. I have never seen anything like it, not even (Andres) Iniesta at the same age," said Spain boss Luis Enrique last summer. "Have you seen the Euros that Pedri has had? I have not seen any 18-year-old player in any competition do the same. How he has performed, how he occupies the spaces, his personality... I have never seen anything like it. It is something out of all logic.”
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Pedri has revealed how working alongside and taking tips from Lionel Messi during their time at Barcelona helped him further his game. The pair were teammates before the Argentine headed to PSG and Messi always urged the teenage sensation to remain calm on the pitch.
He told EFE: "Messi used to give us advice on how to be calm during matches. He always told us to feel free on the pitch. Leo Messi is the best player I have ever seen. To have had the chance to play with him is an honour. He always had a great attitude towards me and treated me very well from the moment I met him."
Luis Enrique's side fell short at the semi-final stage last summer, losing to eventual winners Italy on penalty, but are quietly fancied to go deep in this winter's World Cup. They will also face group games against Germany and Japan but are expected to advance into the knockout stages.
