Pedro admits he was ‘let down’ by Jose Mourinho’s refusal to explain face to face why he was being cut out at Roma, but is overjoyed he got a new lease of life at Lazio.
The Spain international turns 36 next month and is one of the very few players in history to have moved directly from one Capital club to the other, as there is usually an intense rivalry and bitterness between them.
First coming to Roma as a free agent from Chelsea in 2020, he was released a year later and went across the city to the Biancocelesti instead.
“Mourinho took the decision to send me away, but what really let me down was that I tried to speak to him, to understand the reason. I wanted him to say it to my face, we are hardly children, but he didn’t want to. The club wouldn’t let me meet with him either, it was a bit strange,” Pedro told ABC.
It was not their first time together and he is confident this was not a personality clash, which just makes the mystery even more confusing.
“He was the one who wanted me at Chelsea. It’s true we had a bad season and he was fired at Christmas, but in those six months we never had problems. Instead, at Roma he made this decision.
“I accepted it. I did not cry, I did not die, I didn’t fall into depression. On the contrary, it made me stronger and allowed me to see another side of football.
“Now I have a club, Lazio, that is suited to me and what I am looking for.”
It certainly has been a successful season with the Biancocelesti, who finished second in Serie A and qualified for the Champions League.
Pedro contributed to that with seven goals and six assists in 46 competitive games for Maurizio Sarri’s men.
Having worked with Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, the Spanish veteran got to experience that approach as well as Mourinho’s.
“They are very different. Guardiola is the number one, he’s a perfectionist, whereas Mourinho has other methods. If I had to choose between them, there’s no question I would go with Pep. He’s the best coach I ever worked with, I learned to understand football from him, he made me grow as both a player and a person.”