Barcelona head coach Xavi has admitted that the club's young duo of Pedri and Gavi are better than he and Andres Iniesta were when they were the same age.
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As club football makes a swift return in Spain, it is the Blaugrana who currently sit at the top of the LaLiga standings. The Catalan giants are two points ahead of reigning champions Real Madrid, and their success this season has been in large part due to Spanish duo Pedri and Gavi.
While Robert Lewandowski has been the star of the team with his 13 goals in 14 league appearances, the young Spaniards have also raised their level, earning comparisons to legendary club pairing Xavi and Iniesta.
The former, who is now the man being tasked with nurturing Pedri and Gavi's talents, has admitted they are superior to him and playmaker Iniesta when they were 20 years old.
"We have very young players. Eric [Garcia], Pedri, Ansu [Fati], Gavi... Frenkie [de Jong] is young... we have Barca for the present and for the future," Xavi told Mundo Deportivo.
"Me at 20 years old and Andres at 20 years old were not at the level of Pedri or Gavi. Eric Garcia, at 20; Ansu himself... How Gavi competes, the passion he puts in... We were not at his level."
Despite their obvious talent, the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner also emphasised the need to look after their budding starlets.
"Gavi has played practically everything. Ansu is a talent... Perhaps we are asking them too much," Xavi added.
Pedri and Gavi are the latest two recipients of the Golden Boy and Kopa Awards, trophies awarded to the top performing U21 players in world football.
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