Barcelona midfielder dedicates his goal vs Girona to Hansi Flick | OneFootball

Speaking to the media after Barcelona’s resounding 4-1 victory over Catalan rivals Girona, midfield maestro Pedri revealed that he wanted to dedicate his goal on the day to manager Hansi Flick.

Pedri has been absolutely thriving since the start of the season under the new manager and has constantly spoken highly of the German tactician.

The bond between the two was evident on Sunday when Pedri ran to Flick after scoring Barça’s fourth goal against Girona and celebrated it with him.

Speaking after the match, the Spanish midfielder said (h/t Fabrizio Romano): “I dedicate my goal to Hansi Flick. Before the match, I told him that if I scored I would go and celebrate with him!”

Pedri went on to credit Flick for the exceptional start to the season that Barcelona have made, winning five in five, saying (h/t Mundo Deportivo):

“We knew we had to start well, other years we didn’t, that’s what the coach told us, to start strong. He tells us how important it is to win the first few league games, that’s how you win league titles, when you get a good points advantage at the start of the season.”

Pedri dedicated his goal vs Girona to Hansi Flick. (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images)

On the victory against Girona, he added: “We are very happy with the result because it was a complicated game.

“Girona played good football with the ball, but we started well and with intensity. Lamine’s first goal came from the pressure we put on, which is what the coach is asking us to do.”

One of the negatives on the evening for Barcelona was the late sending-off of Ferran Torres who was shown a red card for a stamp on Yaser Asprilla. When asked what he thought about the referee’s decision, Pedri said:

“I’ll have to see a replay of the play, but I was given a similar one in Vallecas and it wasn’t a red card.”

On the decision to not award Girona for a potential handball from Inigo Martinez, Pedri explained that the referees got it right, saying:

“I told the referee that the ball came off Balde and that in the summer we were told that hands weren’t allowed if they were bounced from a teammate. And that’s how it was.”