Timeline: The Pedro Rodriguez story so far!

We look at how the Spaniard came to be one of the most successful players in history and a central figure in two of the most iconic teams in club and international football…

JULY 1987

Pedro Eliezer Rodriguez Ledesma was born 28 July, 1987 to parents Juan Antonio Rodriguez and Monserrat Ledesma in a small town named Abades in the south of the Canary Island of Tenerife, Spain.

Known as Pedrito (literally, 'Little Pedro') due to his diminutive size, Pedro once told The Guardian that he had all the traits of a typical Canario both as a footballer ("quick, skilful, attacking") and a person ("relaxed, easy-going").

Pedrito, who grew up playing at his local sports centre - or “El Poli” - further described the Canary Island school of footballing thought as thus: “They teach us to play short, to take care of the ball. We tend to be skilled.”

AUGUST 2003

Fast forward 16 years and Pedrito has joined the academy of local club San Isidro, where he shines in the club’s Under-18 team - scoring 35 times in his first season.

By the end of that 2003-04 season, he had made his debut for the senior team and by August the following year, he’d sealed a move to the club he idolised as a child after impressing Barcelona scouts at the Adeje Youth Tournament on his home island.

JUNE 2005

Pedro first fed his eventual ravenous appetite for trophies by helping Barcelona’s U18s to the league and cup double by the end of the 2004-05 season.

He also scored the second in the 2-0 win over Sporting Gijon in the youth Copa del Rey final, another itch he will get in the habit of scratching.

JANUARY 2008

After two seasons with Barcelona’s third string, Pedro is starring in his first full year with the ‘B’ team under a coach he will thrive under; Pep Guardiola.

But it’s Frank Rijkaard who handed 20-year-old Pedro his first-team debut as a last-minute substitute against Murcia, entering the pitch with No. 33 and Pedrito on his back.

He would soon have to drop that nickname: "I liked Pedrito, because they have always called me that, but if the club preferred Pedro, then Pedro," he told El Pais a year later.

"If he were Brazilian, they would call him Pedrinho and we would not have money in the club to sign him," added Guardiola.

MAY 2009

Guardiola had replaced Rijkaard in the Nou Camp hotseat and began easing Pedro into the first team.

A significant moment comes in the final game of Barcelona’s season as Pedro has a late cameo at the Stadio Olimpico as the Spaniards wrapped up their first ever treble with victory over Manchester United in the Champions League final.

AUGUST 2009

Now 22, Pedro is a first-team regular and scores his first Barcelona goal against Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup on 16 August - and signs his first contract with the first team four days later.

By the end of the month he had once again scored in a cup final, hitting the winning goal against Shakhtar Donetsk in extra-time to seal UEFA Super Cup glory.

DECEMBER 2009

By scoring in the semi-final and - you guessed it - final of the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, Pedro becomes the first player in history to score in six different competitions in a single season.

He does so just five months into his first full season - scoring in the Spanish Super Cup, Copa del Rey, La Liga, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.

As humble as ever, Pedro said: "I realise I made footballing history, but honestly, what really matters is the team’s success. That’s always been my priority, as without the hard work and efforts of each of my teammates nothing I’ve achieved would have been possible.”

JULY 2010

A little late to flower, Pedro was in full bloom by now and was called up to the Spain squad for the first time among no other than Vicente del Bosque’s World Cup squad bound for South Africa.

A substitute during the early rounds of the competition, Pedro starts the semi-final and final - a move that pays off as his country secured a first World Cup win in the nation’s history.

“We all pulled together and the ultimate goal – becoming world champions – was far more important than any personal ambitions,” Pedro wrote on his website.

“Winning the World Cup was absolutely incredible.”

MAY 2011

Another final, another goal.

This time Pedro - who has by now been given the Canary Island Gold Medal - backs up his crucial goal against rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final with Barcelona’s first in the showpiece as they once again see off United.

Barca became the first team in history to complete a domestic league, domestic cup and Champions League treble, with Pedro one of only seven players involved in both.

JULY 2012

Del Bosque’s Spain added the title of European champions to their world champion moniker, beating an Italy side containing the likes of Roma legends Daniele de Rossi in the final.

Having been left out of all three group matches, Pedro featured in the quarter-final, semi and final, once again proving the man for the big occasion.

AUGUST 2015

Fast forward three years and Pedro calls time on his Barcelona career after 11 years at the club in front of a packed media room at the Camp Nou that has teammates such as Messi, Neymar, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique among the scrum.

“The most difficult thing about leaving the club is my teammates, the people who work here and the fans who have always supported me,” said Pedro.

Fittingly for such a generous man, Pedro’s move to Chelsea comes with a solidarity payment that goes to his first club San Isidro - a timely payment that saves them from financial ruin and secures their future.

MAY 2019

Pedro’s winning habits continue to be satisfied in London - he wins the Premier League under Antonio Conte - and by the end of the 2018-19 season his goal in the Europa League final (obviously!) seals the 25th major trophy of his career.

It completes a remarkable record for Pedro who is not only the first Spaniard to score in the finals of the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup; but also the first player to win a full house of Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, World Cup and European Championship.

MARCH 2020

With football on pause due to coronavirus, Pedro highlighted how there is increasing need for the football community to take greater social responsibility.

Through his foundation - Fundación Canaria Pedro Rodríguez Ledesma - Pedro helped distribute protective equipment to nurses and doctors on the front line of the pandemic all over Spain.

“I think the whole sporting community can help, not just football, and there are many areas where it’s possible to help in some way,’ he told Chelsea’s official website.

“People can give money, even if it’s a small amount, because that can help a lot of people.”

AUGUST 2020

Pedro is denied the perfect farewell in Chelsea as he suffers a shoulder injury in the FA Cup final, leaving the pitch with the score 1-1 and the scene perfectly set for some Pedro magic.

He has surgery on his shoulder almost immediately, before putting pen to paper on a deal in the Italian capital on August 25, where he will be looking to write yet more history into an already fairytale story.