For Wantaway Pedro, It's Time to Buckle Down at Barcelona

Imagine being Pedro Rodriguez on Saturday.

A two-time Champions League winner, world and European champion, and coming off a 15-goal season in La Liga that represents a career high, you are benched in favour of a controversial forward who has never played a competitive match in Spanish football.

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Framed in that context, it's not at all difficult to understand why the 27-year-old would have wanted to table a transfer request on Sunday—something, according to the Express' Charles Perrin, he did following Barcelona's 3-1 Clasico defeat to Real Madrid.

All Pedro has done in the 10 years since joining the Catalan outfit's youth setup is rise through the ranks at one of world football's biggest clubs, score goals in some of the sport's most prestigious matches and fill a trophy cabinet with prize after prize after prize.

And how is he repaid? By watching Luis Suarez take his place in Barcelona's most important match of the season to date.

He might have expected a bit more loyalty, a morsel of respect for services rendered and achievements attained.

Not that the ultra-competive realm of professional football is much in the business of rewarding past successes.

In many ways, Pedro's career has been easy—too easy. His senior debut came when Barcelona were at the peak of their powers. Xavi and Andres Iniesta were weaving their magic; Lionel Messi was winning the Ballon d'Or. Manager Pep Guardiola, who would arrive a year later, was about to mastermind a stylistic revolution.

It was easy for Pedro to get comfortable while the club continued to thrive; it was easy for Barcelona, generally, to get comfortable amid a run of unprecedented excellence.

But ease is fleeting, and the rousing from it can be treacherous. As Pedro is currently discovering.

Prior to the World Cup, he hinted that his future may lie away from Camp Nou. Barcelona had just come off a disappointing campaign and would shortly appoint their third manager in as many years. Uncertainty reigned.

"I don't know what's going to happen yet," he remarked, as per the Daily Star. "When a decision has to be made, I'll speak with the club and we'll see what happens."

Since the tournament, in which Spain went out at the group stage, Pedro has started just five of Barcelona's nine domestic matches. He's also found the back of the net just once in all competitions and has lacked the jump that previously marked him out as such a useful offensive weapon.

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Instead of providing the speed, tricks and finishing ability that previously saw him earn a reputation as an elite attacker, he is now cutting a sullen, sulking figure in a team struggling for cohesion, for a sense of itself.

Where the retirement of Carles Puyol and the declines of Xavi and Iniesta has opened up a leadership vacuum at the club, he has made rumblings about leaving Camp Nou instead of maturing into a more senior role. When faced with competition for his place in the squad he has so far failed to fight for it.

Pedro's contract expires in June 2016, which means Barcelona—if they're resigned to losing him—will likely conduct a sale in January or next summer. But the prospect of a lengthy transfer ban could well steel their resolve to keep him.

In any event, we'll no doubt learn a thing or two about both the player and club over the next few months.

Will Pedro, facing the first bit of adversity in his career, buckle down and compete for minutes under manager Luis Enrique? Will he grow into a leadership role rather than look for an easy way out?

And will Barcelona, jolted out of their comfort zone, help facilitate the maturation of such an important contributor at a crucial point in his career?

The answers will be telling.