“Pedro has scored in all UEFA club competitions. Legend". This is how the governing body of continental football describes ex-Barcelonista Pedro Rodríguez Ledesma. At 35 years old, the indefatigable forward from the Canary Islands continues to write pages of a career full of achievements. The last one, having become the first footballer to score a goal in all the European team tournaments. He did it by scoring on Tuesday with Lazio against AZ Alkmaar in the most inexperienced competition, the Conference. His team lost 1-2 but no one can take that milestone away from Pedro.
It was always like this. To the cheetah silent and with the boots marking. No one expected him to have such a successful career at Barcelona and he became the undisputed starter for a dream forward alongside David Villa and Lionel Messi. Hardly anyone expected that after his departure from the Camp Nou after eight seasons, his football life would be so long-lasting and it continues there. He triumphed at Chelsea, who bought him for 30 million, went to Roma and is now at Lazio, after changing sides in the Italian capital. Nothing to do the Americas in search of a calmer refuge or to look for the petrodollars in Saudi Arabia or Qatar. On the front line, in a powerful league like Serie A and giving war. Mourinho rejected him at Roma but then he went free to Lazio, and now he is adored by the Lazio fans, who ask for his renewal. He ends contract this June.
In the Champions League he scored a total of 16 goals, in the Europa League he scored 9 and now he has made his debut in the Conference. To these goals we must add those that he achieved in the European Super Cups, with Barça, against Shakhtar Donetsk in 2009 and against Sevilla in 2015. Because his goals have served a lot. They have not fallen on deaf ears. Three Champions Leagues (2009, 2011 and 2015) for Blaugrana, the two Super Cups also referred to as Barcelona and the 2019 Europa League with Chelsea. In that final he also became the only one to score in the decisive match of the Champions League (Wembley 2011) and the Europa League, in the same way that in 2009 he became the only one to score a goal in the six competitions that Barcelona lifted. . His goal in the 2009 Club World Cup final against Estudiantes took the game to extra time in the last minute and then Messi scored the winning goal.
If you count the two titles in which he participated with the Spanish team (World Cup 2010 and Eurocopa 2012) his collective trophies amount to 25. Not bad at all for a boy who Josep Guardiola made his debut with Busquets and whom no special talent was presumed. But he does have two qualities that have always allowed him to excel: an instinct for goals and finishing ability with both legs. His goal on Tuesday, first, sums up his entire football life.
