“I appreciate him a lot” - Pedri explains why Barcelona star is nicknamed ‘the pitbull’

Barcelona midfielder Pedri has revealed the nickname he has for teammate Marc Casado. Pedri calls Casado "The Pitbull’’ due to his relentless efforts to win the ball back when out of possession.

Marc Casado was promoted to Barcelona’s senior team in the summer from the reserves. The 21-year-old has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the base of the midfield.

Casado’s performance has made a strong impression, not only on fans but also on his teammates. Pedri recently expressed his admiration for the defensive midfielder, saying (via Barca Universal):

“I appreciate him a lot. I call him ‘the pitbull’ because he always presses like a beast to win the ball back. He’s a player who has surprised me a lot.”

Marc Cassado has made 15 appearances for Barcelona across competitions in the ongoing season and has provided five assists.

He also received his first senior Spain call-up by Luis de la Fuente for the last two group games in the UEFA Nations League. He came in as a substitute in La Roja’s penultimate group game against Denmark and was then named in the starting XI against Switzerland.

Spain secured a last-gasp 3-2 victory against Switzerland. Casado impressed on his first start for La Roja, getting the second-highest rating in the Spain squad (7.5) by Sofascore.

*The above stats have been taken from Sofasocre at 6pm IST on November 20, 2024. These platforms may change these stats as per their prerogative.

Barcelona youngster tipped for bright future following impressive performance for Spain

Marc Casado's debut start for Spain turned a few heads as the Barcelona midfielder put up a show at the base of La Roja’s midfield. After the match, Casado was praised by teammate Bryan Zaragoza and national team coach Luis de la Fuente.

The defensive midfielder, who played all 90 minutes against Switzerland, won 11 out of 12 ground duels, and made three tackles. Bryan Zaragoza was in awe of Casado’s performance and called him an animal. He said (via SPORT):

"He's an animal. I don't even know what to say about how he played. It's outrageous. You see them so small that you're shocked by how they scratch."

Luis de la Fuente also raved about the maturity the Barcelona man displayed in midfield in his post-match conference.

“It was impressive how he played in a game and a half with the team, he looked like a veteran for the way he read the game,” he explained (via SPORT).