Barcelona sensation to be the subject of international allegiance battle

Last summer, Marc Bernal and Marc Casado were breakout stars for Barcelona, and in 2025, Dro could follow in their footsteps. The 17-year-old has impressed Hansi Flick in pre-season training, and during Sunday’s friendly against Vissel Kobe, he scored on what was his first appearance for the senior squad.

Dro, whose full name is Pedro Fernández Sarmiento, is tipped for big things, and he could play a part in the first team for the upcoming season – although he would be far down the pecking order given the strength in depth that Barcelona have in attacking positions.

Nevertheless, Barcelona have high hopes for Dro – and they aren’t the only ones. As per Sport, the Philippine Football Federation wants to convince the 17-year-old to represent them at international level.

Dro qualifies for the Philippines through his mother, although their desire to convince is more in hope than expectation. The belief is that he will want to play for Spain, where he was born and where his father is from.

Curiously, it’s not the first time that an up-and-coming Barcelona starlet has been the subject of an international allegiance battle. In 2023, Morocco pushed to convince Lamine Yamal to represent them, but in the end, he committed to Spain. And there is every chance that Dro follows in the footsteps on the 18-year-old.

Luis de la Fuente has shown in the past that he keeps an eye on talented Barcelona teenagers, as was the case with Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. If Dro manages to sustain a regular place in Flick’s squad, he could himself in contention of being called upon by La Roja.

It remains to be seen how the situation with Dro plays out, although it is expected that he will commit to Spain in the coming months.