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The World Cup winner left Mourinho’s Roma for cross-town rivals Lazio in 2021

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Since making his senior debut in 2008, Pedro has made more than 750 appearances for club and country and won just about everything there is to win. A world and European champion with Spain, he was also part of Barcelona’s golden era, claiming five La Liga titles and three Champions League, before adding a Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League to his medal collection following his 2015 move to Chelsea. His next stop in 2020 was Italy when he signed with Roma, where he played under Paulo Fonseca for a season, before Jose Mourinho arrived in the capital and Pedro soon found himself surplus to requirements under the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss.

“It was inexplicable, ” Pedro recalls to Four Four Two. “Despite knowing each other well, I couldn’t speak with him – he shielded himself by saying it was a club decision. “After I left, we crossed paths in a few matches, but never addressed the issue. Maybe one day we’ll have the chance to sit down, and he can truly explain what happened.

“I only had contact with the sporting director. The president also refused to speak with me. It was tough because I was left out of the team, training alone. “But I was fortunate to join Lazio, where they welcomed me with open arms. ” The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. That move to Roma’s bitter rivals Lazio, was one of the more eyebrow-raising transfers of recent times, as he became the first player to move directly between the two clubs since goalkeeper Astutillo Malgioglio way back in 1985. So what has it been like to cross the divide? “At first, it wasn’t an easy decision due to everything surrounding it, but Roma pushed me towards it, ” the 37-year-old admits. “Thanks to that, I’ve had the opportunity to experience wonderful things at Lazio.

“From the first moment, I received a lot of love from the fans, management and players. I’ve repaid that with hard work on the field. “My big dream is to win a title here. ” For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and Leeds Live among others and worked at Four Four Two throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

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