Former Barcelona striker David Villa has likened the situation faced by Pedro in the last few months to the situation that forced his exit from the club to Atletico Madrid a few years ago.

Villa spent three years at the Camp Nou and was part of the Barcelona team that is still regarded as the best in the history of the game. The 2011 team managed to win a whole host of titles including the Champions League. Villa scored in the final of the 2011 Champions League, but he did not stay at the club for much longer. Changes in the tactics meant that he was on the bench more often than not.

He had to leave the club in search of regular football. This led to the arrival at the Vicente Calderon to play for Atletico Madrid. One of the recent Barcelona stars who had to leave the club for a similar situation is Pedro, who has joined Chelsea in the £ 22 million deal. After having come through the youth ranks at Barcelona, Pedro played a major role during the time of Pep Guardiola. However, he has become largely a fringe player in recent years despite the presence of quality. Villa says that Pedro wanted first-team football more than just a place on the bench.

“He’s a player that I have a lot of affection for; a great friend. He’s a competitive football who wants to play. [His move to Chelsea] reminded me of when I left two years ago. He realised he was losing minutes and preferred to go to another team. It would have been bad [for Pedro] to get accustomed to playing from the bench. It’s what Pedro has done. He is a good guy and he wants to show his attitude on the pitch,” said David Villa.