Atletico Madrid captain Koke Resurreccion and Barcelona midfielder Pedri Gonzalez engaged in an almighty battle in the middle of the pitch earlier this week, as Los Colchoneros escaped Camp Nou with a ticket to the Copa del Rey final in Seville. The pair share plenty of mutual respect for each other though.
Pedri was a central part of a monumental effort from Barcelona to make a comeback from four goals down at Camp Nou, having been put to the sword by Atletico in the first leg at the Metropolitano. Going up 3-0 with 20 minutes to go, Los Rojiblancos held onto their advantage in the closing stages to return to the Copa final for the first time in 13 years.
Koke’s wife thanks Pedri for treatment
The day after the game, Koke’s wife revealed that the respect between the Atletico captain and Pedri went beyond the pitch. Beatriz Espejel posted the following on her Instagram story.
We want to give thanks especially to Pedri and his family for taking such good care of Leo [Koke’s son] and me yesterday in Barcelona, and for the presents. We love you family.
It seems that Pedri gifted his boots to Koke’s son, writing the message “With affection, for Leo,” signing the boots too.
Koke pays tribute to Pedri after the game
Before he did so, Koke already had kind words for the Spain international. El Desmarque carried his comments from his post-match interview with Movistar.
“Pedri is a machine. We’re lucky he’s Spanish… he’s the present and future of Spain. He’ll bring a lot of joy to Barca and the national team. Besides being a great footballer, he’s a spectacular guy.”
🚨 Koke: “We’ve gone four or five years without lifting a title. We wanted a final for our people. This is the happiest defeat of my career.” pic.twitter.com/HXCvY6d09Z
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 3, 2026
As an exhausted Pedri mourned the defeat on the pitch after the game, Koke was also captured doing his best to cheer up the Canary Islander.
Koke fue a saludar a Pedri tras el partido pic.twitter.com/IvVl56nJP3
— Som I Serem FCB (@Somhiseremfcb) March 4, 2026
The pair will meet again on the 4th/5th of April at the Metropolitano during the return fixture in La Liga. Atletico and Barcelona could be in for a 5th and 6th meeting of the season too, if both progress to the Champions League quarter-final.
Flick: “Gavi? He will travel with the team to train with the group, but he won’t be included in the call-ups. It’s the next step, maybe after the break, but without ruling out that it could be sooner.”
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 6, 2026
