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It’s Saturday lunchtime at the Tasca Fernando restaurant in Tegueste, on the island of Tenerife, and there’s only one table free.  

“You might like to try Las Croquetas de Pedri,” says Jose Luis Gonzalez, guiding The Athletic to a seat past busy diners. “They’re made with tuna — they’ve always been his favourites.”

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Jose Luis should know. At first, Pedri’s uncle comes across as proper and slightly reserved, but he’s soon friendly and smiling as he explains how his father Fernando and mother Candelaria opened this place in 1972.

With its dark, wood-panelled walls, red-brick bar and iron light fittings, the restaurant retains a traditional feel. On the wall by the door hang family photos going all the way back through five decades, some showing Fernando exuding a huge presence with his beaming smile, sturdy body and bristling moustache. Jose Luis says his father was known in the village as ‘El Catalan’, for his fierce Barcelona fandom.

In 1994, Fernando founded the Pena Barcelonista de Tenerife-Tegueste, the first official Barcelona supporters club on this largest in the Canary Islands, off the coast of north west Africa and a a two-plus hour flight from the Spanish mainland. Tegueste had always been more of a Real Madrid town, and back then already had an official supporters club for Barcelona’s great rivals. Asked to explain why his family went the other way, Jose Luis shrugs: that was his father.

The family’s force of personality brought more and more people to their side. One of those photos on the wall is of Fernando senior and his two sons (Jose Luiz and Fernando junior) with then-Barcelona defender (and one day head coach) Ronald Koeman in the late 1990s. Another shows Candelaria meeting Joan Laporta, who was in Tegueste for an official visit during his first presidential term in the early 2000s.

Pedri’s father, the younger Fernando, was himself a promising player in his youth — a goalkeeper who almost joined a club in the neighbouring town, Tejina, to play in Spain’s third division. But Fernando senior’s death in 2005 meant he took over the bar, with wife Maria running the kitchen. In 2006, Fernando junior made it to Paris to see Barcelona beat Arsenal 2-1 to win the Champions League, just as his dad had been at Wembley in 1992 when they defeated Sampdoria — Koeman scored the only goal, Pep Guardiola was in the starting XI — to lift the club’s first European Cup.

More recent photos on the walls track Pedri’s career, from playing for the village club, through bigger local side Juventud Laguna, then making his Segunda Division debut for Las Palmas from the next-door island of Gran Canaria at age 16, signing for Barcelona a year later, and making his senior Spain debut a few months after that.

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The food at Tasca Fernando is tasty and filling, although the deep-fried crunch of Pedri’s favourite croquetas would make most modern sports nutritionists scream. Although in his defence, Jose Luis says the kid didn’t like Fanta or Coca-Cola growing up, it was always water. He and his older brother by two years, Fernan, ate all their meals at the restaurant, as this is where their parents were.

The boys always had a ball under control, and regularly got under the feet of their father and uncle as they carried plates to the diners’ tables. Did the future professional ever serve customers himself? “Pedri has never worked, apart from football,” says Jose Luis, with a twinkle in his eye.

Now Pedri and Fernan live in Catalonia, their parents spend more and more time there, and watch all Barcelona’s games, home and away, in person. Jose Luis runs the restaurant, with his sisters Rosi and Montse also involved.

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Pedri’s fame means the Tasca gets regular visitors from all over. There were Argentinians in the other day and Australians a few weeks ago, Jose Luis says. But the majority of its business still comes from local families who have eaten here for decades.

The Athletic’s accommodation for this visit was close by. The landlady, Lola, knows Pedri’s family well, of course. Everyone in town does. Her father and Pedri’s granddad Fernando were close friends, she says. Lola tells the story (surely not for the first time) of Fernando flying to a game at the Camp Nou. He had a changeover at Barajas airport in the Spanish capital to get to Barcelona, but would not set foot on Madrid soil, so used a wheelchair to move between planes.

The story begs the question of what Fernando would have thought had he been around when Pedri had a trial at Real Madrid in February 2018. Despite his family’s Barcelona allegiances, the 15-year-old would have joined their biggest rivals if offered. He had the determination to succeed — another firm family trait. Fate intervened, however. The Spanish capital was blanketed in snow, and on the frozen pitches, Pedri did not impress Madrid’s coaching staff.

Tegueste sits in the north west of the island, 10 kilometres from the coast, and a million miles from any typical touristy image of Tenerife.

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The town makes its living mostly from agriculture — the lush green hills are striped with vine terraces and dotted with orange and lemon groves. Above are the terrifically irregular verdant ridges of the protected Anaga Rural Park, with its tall Canarian palm trees and prickly cactus plants. Below is the rocky, cave-filled Barranco de Agua de Dios ravine, which leads down to the sea.

Such natural benefits made Tegueste a stronghold of the native Guanche people before Spanish conquistadores arrived within a few years of Christopher Columbus crossing the Atlantic. This heritage bequeathed a sporting legacy in the ‘Lucha Canaria’ wrestling for which the town is still renowned.

By chance, this Saturday was the annual Carnaval procession — with residents of all ages dressed as pirates, tropical birds or cowboys, and lots of drumming and communal merriment. Such festivals were never really Pedri’s thing. “He went to Carnaval once, and came home early,” says Jose Luis. “He was not interested in parties or anything like that, just football.”

There is an echo today as some kids are ignoring the procession and instead kicking a ball around on the San Marcos Square, in front of a church built with the area’s volcanic grey-black stone. The square also now recalls a different member of Pedri’s family, as on the corner by the town hall stands a statue of Antonio Gonzalez, his great-uncle, who was the local postman for 50 years. The statue was erected in 2011, three years after Antonio’s death. Pedri was then just eight years old, and playing alongside Fernan for Club Deportivo Aliron Futbol Base Tegueste’s (CDAFB Tegueste) ‘Alevin’ under-11s.

On Sunday morning, the current CDAFB Tegueste youth teams were playing at their Ciudad Deportiva los Laureles. The ‘Cadete’ under-15s won, but the under-18 ‘Juvenil’ side lost. At the stadium gate, club vice-president Benito Perez explained to The Athletic that they have teams at all youth levels, with 290 kids, 90 per cent of whom come from Tegueste itself.

The village of around 11,000 inhabitants is a tremendously fertile breeding ground for professional footballers. Former Barcelona winger Jeffren, current Elche midfielder Omar Mascarell and Real Valladolid reserve goalkeeper Samuel Perez all, like Pedri, played their first organised games for CDAFB Tegueste.

Mascarell has been back to run a summer campus for the town’s kids. Pedri’s most recent visit was in June last year, when he oversaw the installation of a water dispenser provided by the Kick Out Plastic foundation, of which he is an ambassador.

CDAFB Tegueste got some FIFA development money when Pedri joined Barcelona from Las Palmas in 2020 but club secretary Lina Uhia tells The Athletic they are self-sufficient and raise their own money. We take the hint and buy a ticket for €4 (£3.50, $4.30) to see the senior side’s Primera Regional game against Atletico Restinga. The visitors, from neighbouring island El Hierro, come from 1-0 down at half-time to win 2-1, and Tegueste are unlikely to be promoted this season.

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Pedri and his family are more interested in Barcelona, The Athletic suggests. Perez laughs: “Yes, their team is Barca, for sure.”

He himself is more interested in his village club. “We’ll probably watch the Clasico at home,” he says, when asked about his thoughts on that night’s big La Liga game at Camp Nou.

A teardrop emoji sent to The Athletic on Friday confirmed that Pedri was going to miss Sunday’s Clasico with a hamstring issue.

Jose Luis was phlegmatic about the situation on the eve of the game, saying he was sure his 20-year-old nephew would be back soon, and that these things happen.

An hour before kick-off, friend of the family Oscar Ledezma welcomes The Athletic to the Pena Barcelonista de Tenerife-Tegueste’s ‘local’ social club. The size of so many small Spanish bars, it mostly only opens for Barca games — and Spain ones now too. Just like at Camp Nou these days, fans of other teams are not really welcome. Ledezma says Tegueste’s Real Madrid supporters usually gather in a bar near the church, or else just watch on their own at home.

The place is like a little Barcelona museum. Dozens of photographs, jerseys, posters, pendants, books and badges document the club’s last few decades. “It used to be a shrine to Lionel Messi, but Pedri is taking over,” says Ledezma. There is a very cute photo of a seven-year-old Pedri and nine-year-old Fernan with the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League trophies, which were all brought to Tegueste the summer after Guardiola-coached Barca won the treble in 2009.

A fresh-faced Laporta shows up again, being welcomed to town by Pedri’s dad Fernando and the town’s then-mayor, who was a Real Madrid fan.

More pictures show a young Pedri meeting each of Txiki Begiristain, Jose Luis Bakero, Carlos Unzue and Jeffren. Another has him aged maybe 10 and curled up in his seat, staring intently at a TV showing a match. Even when he was older, and had started playing in Spain’s second tier for Las Palmas, he flew back here to watch every Barca game he could, surrounded by his friends and family.

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Ledezma says that the COVID-19 pandemic hit membership of the pena, especially the older fans who were contemporaries of Fernando senior. But his grandson’s emergence as a superstar has energised everything, and led to lots of local kids joining too. Membership is now at about 100 people, with each paying €60 a year. Along with selling drinks and sandwiches at each game, that about covers the rent and bills. It also helps that the owner of this building is a Barcelona fan, and a member.

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Nearly 40 people had gathered by kick-off, and more continued to arrive. The older fans have their own seats by a TV near the door, while most of us face a big projector screen in rows of nice, comfy ‘grana’ coloured seats, with blue tables. It quickly gets loud as Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Sergi Roberto all go close to scoring. “We had no shots in the Copa game at the Bernabeu, and now three already,” The Athletic hears.

There is total silence when Vinicius Junior’s cross hits Ronald Araujo’s head and ends up in the net. Then a Spanish oath involving milk is uttered. There are grumbles for a Raphinha bad touch when it seems the Brazilian is in on goal. “We were more or less in control, but the goal knocked us back,” is overheard. There is a loud clang as someone kicks the bar when an Andreas Christensen header flashes wide.

The atmosphere is turning increasingly anxious, especially whenever Vinicius Jr gets the ball. “Madre mia,” someone shouts as a Barcelona passing move goes all the way back to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. “They are missing Pedri in midfield, he knits the team together,” says Ledezma.

Everyone leaps off their feet when Sergi Roberto equalises just before half-time, with huge cheers and embraces. Fifty people in a small space can generate a surprising amount of noise. “We should be winning, we had the better chances,” says the barman as The Athletic gets in a round of €1 bottles of beer.

The younger fans gather around the ‘futbolin’ table during the 15-minute break. The lines of wooden players seem to be clad in Barca vs Madrid colours, but the kids point out that those in white all have former Blaugrana players’ names hand-written on their backs. ‘Koeman’ scores a characteristic long-range cracker as his team win.

The lights go off again as the second half starts. “A draw will do, but it is always good to beat Madrid,” says Ledezma. The mood keeps swinging wildly. “Oh, Busquets!” someone screams, as the Barcelona club captain’s mistake almost lets in Rodrygo to score. “Ay, mi madre,” sighs someone else as Lewandowski volleys a chance into the crowd.

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Gloom falls when Marco Asensio nets after a Madrid counter-attack. But bit by bit, people start to realise he might have been offside. During a long, long VAR check, Pedri’s face flashes up on the screen, sharing the nerves of his people from his vantage point at Camp Nou. When the goal is eventually disallowed, somebody shouts, “Ay, Negreira”, a reference to Barcelona having paid millions to the former vice-president of Spanish football’s referee’s committee. It brings an equal amount of grins and grimaces.

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The tension is back as the game enters added time, with lots of frustration about Barcelona’s inability to keep the ball. But suddenly they put together an excellent move, and substitute Franck Kessie fires home a winner that puts them 12 points clear of Madrid at the top of La Liga. Everyone is on their feet again. Dads dash over to hug their kids. “And we’d all been having a go at Kessie!,” says somebody, wryly.

The final whistle brings more jubilation. A fan named Andres has won the jackpot for correctly predicting the final score. He takes another bottle of beer to celebrate and donates the rest of the winnings back into the pot.

“That’s La Liga done, now to knock ’em out of the Copa too,” says Ledezma as he bids goodbye to The Athletic at the door, looking forward to the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg back at Camp Nou in two weeks.

“Of course we will do it, Pedri will be back then.”

(Top photo: Dermot Corrigan. Design by Sam Richardson)

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