“We must all help him" - Barcelona star sends heartfelt message to Gavi after the latter suffered a season-ending injury on international duty

Barcelona star Pedri has sent a heartfelt message to club and international teammate Gavi after the latter's season-ending ACL injury.

Gavi was substituted in the first half of his team's 3-1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers win against Georgia earlier this month. It was later confirmed that the player suffered a tear of his ACL in the right knee and required surgery.

The 19-year-old midfielder is expected to miss the entirety of the season as he aims to recover from the injury. In the past week, messages of support have poured in for Gavi, be it from his teammates or club rivals.

Pedri recently sat down for a session with Barcelona's official media team. He began the interview by sending out a public message to Gavi, saying (h/t @BarcaUniversal):

"First, I want to send a lot of support to Gavi. He is going through difficult times and I know what that means I know the feeling of being injured and it is the worst thing that can happen to a football player.

"We must all help him. I think the team will lose a lot of things without him. A lot. So much strength, and so much love from the club. We must all make up for this by uniting together and being stronger than ever."

Pedri, 21, has himself missed a large chunk of the 2023-24 campaign due to a hamstring injury. He has since recovered from the injury and made his return to the pitch for Barca, but was left out of Spain's team for their Euro qualifiers in November.

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Pedri and Gavi's record together at Barcelona

There are a lot of similarities between Pedri and Gavi, with the first being that they are regulars for both Spain and Barcelona.

Gavi joined La Masia in 2015 from Real Betis, while Pedri followed suit four years later, leaving UD Las Palmas for Barca. Both made their senior debuts as teenagers and have over 100 appearances each for Barcelona across competitions.

The two have also appeared 62 times together as teammates for club and country combined. When fit and available, it is a rare sight if the duo doesn't start together in Xavi Hernandez's midfield three.

Both the Spaniards have a low center of gravity, like playing in the No. 8 role, and have playmaking skills beyond their years. Hence, Pedri's return has assumed added importance after Gavi's mishap against Georgia.