Pedro: I am very excited to start my Chelsea adventure
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| AFP |
Chelsea have agreed a deal with Barcelona for the signing of Pedro Rodriguez, both clubs announced.
A statement from the Catalan giants read: "FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of Pedro Rodriguez for €30m, three of which are variables depending on performance."
The Spain winger chose the Premier League champions over Manchester United and Manchester City, the with 28-year-old's arrival at Stamford Bridge ending a summer-long transfer saga. Jose Mourinho's latest acquisition turns up in London boasting five La Liga trophies and three UEFA Champions League titles.
"I am very happy to be here," Pedro told Chelsea's official website. "I am very excited to start my adventure at Chelsea and I am here to keep winning titles. Thanks to the club and the supporters for giving me the opportunity to put the blue shirt on."
Honours galore
He left Barcelona having fallen down the pecking order at Camp Nou under Luis Enrique, who has preferred the all-star front three of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez and has used the Canary Islands-born player more sparingly.
The compact Pedro - full name Pedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma - is a product of Barcelona's youth academy. He made his first team debut in January 2008 after catching the eye for their B team. He developed to become an integral part of Barça's winning machine, and was the first player ever to score in the Spanish league, Copa del Rey, Champions League, both the European and Spanish Super Cups, as well as the FIFA World Club Cup.
His brilliant performances at club level saw him secure a place in the Spain squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Pedro started both the semi-final and Final, and was a key figure in their victory over the Netherlands. A year later he scored the opening goal in the Champions League final at Wembley as Barcelona beat Manchester United 3-1.
Pedro was a substitute alongside then Chelsea players Fernando Torres and Juan Mata in Spain's UEFA Euro 2012 victory over Italy. he was also part of the squad which travelled to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup.
Pedro came on as a late substitute in Barcelona's most recent major success - May's Champions League final win over Juventus in Berlin. His final act for Barça was to score the winning goal in last week's dramatic 5-4 extra-time defeat of Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup in Tbilisi.