"Deserves Ballon d'Or more than Raphinha", "Messi level talent" - Fans hail Barcelona star after 1-0 win over Mallorca

A section of Barcelona fans took to social media to heap praise on Pedri for his performance during the LaLiga clash with Mallorca on Tuesday (April 22). The midfielder delivered a man-of-the-match display as La Blaugrana secured a 1-0 win at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

Before kickoff, Barcelona were four points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, while Mallorca sat in seventh place on the LaLiga table.

As expected, Barcelona got off to a strong start, registering their first shot on target of the night in the 12th minute, but Leo Roman denied Ferran Torres from the edge of the box. Lamine Yamal came close to giving the hosts the lead a few seconds later, but Roman was again brilliant in goal.

While Barcelona utterly dominated Mallorca, they couldn’t find the breakthrough before the break. The hosts continued their dominance immediately after the restart, and it took them less than 60 seconds to break the deadlock. Dani Olmo opened the scoring for La Blaugrana, tucking home a low finish after being teed up by Eric Garcia.

Despite taking the lead, Barcelona kept mounting pressure, and Mallorca’s failure to register a shot on target throughout the game meant the former secured a crucial win on home soil. While almost all Barcelona players put in a good shift, Pedri once again delivered an outstanding performance.

The Spaniard had 125 touches, created one big chance, made one clearance, and received a rating of 8.6 according to Sofascore. After the match, fans on X praised him for his performance, with one writing:

"Pedri lowkey deserves the Bdor more than Raphinha.''

Another tweeted:

"Pedri is a Messi level talent. I know it and you know it too.''

"What Pedri is doing every 3 days is not normal. best player in the world,'' @scarsheretostay wrote.

''I’ve learned that Pedri is the best player in the world,'' @unrulyking000 added.

''Pedri has been sublime,the obvious core of this team. What a performance he was everywhere today,'' @MoaviaAfridi34 chimed in.

"I think we played a good game" – Hansi Flick on Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Mallorca

Hansi Flick expressed satisfaction with his side’s performance after they secured a narrow win over Mallorca. However, he stated they could have won the game by a larger margin, as they had numerous chances.

The German tactician told reporters in the post-match press conference:

"I think we played a good game, we had a lot of chances to score more goals and win by a larger margin, but I'm still happy.

He then went on to praise Mallorca’s goalkeeper for his incredible display. The goalie made 12 stunning saves on the night.

"Their goalkeeper Leo Roman was really good and put on a show, we have to acknowledge that. Actually, everyone defended well for Mallorca today, they were really good and that makes our win even more important,’’ Flick said.

"I think we made fewer mistakes than in previous games and in general we were really good. It's my job (to rotate the squad), I have to do it at a time of the season that everyone is impacted by a relentless schedule. The next game is always the most important and that's how we will manage it," he concluded.

Barcelona have extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points, but have played one additional match.