Chapter Text
Robert Lewandowski is used to walk on the pitch alongside very young players. He played with 18-year olds at Dortmund and Munich but somehow Mario Götze and Jamal Musiala never seemed so young to him. Even though the latter is called Bambi for a reason. And maybe it’s because Robert was closer in age to Götze and the other boys the time he was still at Dortmund and because his team in Munich was older in average but it’s still a strange feeling to step on the Joan Gamper training grounds next to Xavi and look at all the teenagers. He’s pretty sure he’s the oldest player in the squad except for maybe Busquets.
He's no idiot, he knows about La Masia. He knows these kids are exceptionally talented but still. They are kids. He’s heard about Ansu Fati, already praised as the next Messi and of course he’s heard about Gavi and Pedri who are labeled as the living legacy of Xavi and Iniesta. And God he loves the way they play because they still play football. It's one of the reasons he wanted to transfer from Munich to Barcelona.
Pedri may already be one of the best midfielders he’s ever seen or at least has the chance to become it. He’s intelligent, quick minded and always seems to know where everything and everyone is placed on the pitch. Watching him play is a bit like watching the dance of a magician. He’s often mistaken for a La Masia protégé because of his age but Robert couldn’t disagree more. Because it’s Gavi who embodies everything La Masia stands for.
The kid is a force of nature on the pitch. He runs and fights and screams and never seems to tire. There are compilations of him doing stupid shit on YouTube like diving headfirst to save a ball from a strikers foot or starting fights with opponents twice his age and very much bigger than him. He bleeds Barcelona with every fiber of his being. These two may be the polar opposites of the midfield but somehow that just makes them better together.
Robert is really looking forward to get to know his new team.