Pedro opens up about leaving Barcelona and converting to the Cult of Mourinho

Pedro is off to a fairly excellent start in his Chelsea career, with a goal and two assists already in the first two games.  Chelsea may have only managed to win one of the two, but at least on an individual level, Pedro is already living up to his pedigree as Barcelona's lucky charm.  Of course it was the fact that he was merely a lucky charm that he decided to leave the Spanish champions with whom he's experienced so much success.

"Leaving Barca was very difficult. I spent many years at a club that made me who I am. It was a very difficult decision and it was even more difficult to leave. There were many sleepless nights. There was the uncertainty of where I was going to play, live, what school my kids would go to...This created a lot of anxiety and uncertainty."

"After the Champions League win, I explained my situation to [Luis Enrique], that I wasn't going to stay. At the start of the pre-season, I told him I'd decided to leave. He understood and supported me."

"The UEFA Super Cup was a very difficult moment, when I saw that I wouldn't be playing. It wasn't like other celebrations with Barcelona, but it was another title. When I scored the winning goal, I felt really angry. That was the point in which I decided I wasn't going to stay."

-Pedro; source: Inside Spanish Football

Pedro's situation at Barca mirrored the situations of several of our recent big-name departures.  Just like we had granted Mata's or Schürrle's or Cech's wishes, Barcelona allowed Pedro to leave as well, agreeing to a restructured contract with a lower buyout fee, and allowing the player to choose his next destination.  Even if that next destination was a rival team, led by football-evil personified in Jose Mourinho.

It didn't take long for Pedro get brainwashed by the aura of The Special One however.

"People might think it sounds strange but in a one on one situation Mourinho is very different, I have changed my opinion of him. He treats you like one of his family. He shows huge respect for his players. His demands are high but if there is criticism it's so that we can improve and become stronger."

-Pedro; source: Mail

We had already known that a Mourinho phone call played a large part in convincing Pedro to come here — alongside Fabregas' recruitment, Victor Valdes' warning about Van Gaal, and Manchester United's dilly-dallying — but it's still nice to hear him really fitting in and becoming part of the "family".