Pedri has become the latest Spanish player to mark his 2026 FIFA World Cup triumph in egregious style. The Barcelona midfielder recently dyed his hair white to fulfill a promise made before the tournament.
Pedri showcased his transformation from the iconic dark slicked hair with a post on social media. The 23-year-old’s evolution has come mere days before he is slated to return to the Joan Gamper complex for pre-season training.
It did not take long for the news to go viral. The comments soon flooded in, and a bunch of Pedri’s teammates got in on the action.
Ferran Torres claimed he loves the new look, albeit the ‘hahaha’ that preceded it indicated differently. Both Fermin Lopez and Marcos Alonso similarly spammed a bunch of crying and laughing emojis to make their feelings clear.
Dani Olmo joked that Pedri was emulating Goku from popular anime series Dragon Ball Z with his new look. Notably, Goku’s hair only turns white when he enters the divine Ultra Instinct state, so Olmo’s comment could be a compliment in disguise.
Gavi, meanwhile, went a step further. The young midfielder dropped a GIF of Harry Potter antagonist Draco Malfoy, given the character’s iconic silver-haired look.
However, the comparison that gained the most traction was by far also the wildest.
A plethora of people claimed Pedri looks uncannily similar to Jose Mourinho, and fans cannot unsee it now.
Saw the hair and thought it was Mourinho pic.twitter.com/PdpteGsYTt
— Zelo (@ZeloFCB) August 8, 2026
Both men boasted a similar oval-shaped face cut with a sharp jawline already. Now, a simple cropped hair style in white has made the resemblance truly pop.
Is it just me or Pedri looks a lot like Mourinho more than Mourinho looks like Mourinho himself? pic.twitter.com/h078ZfqFUO
— kgotatso Molatedi (@KgotatsoMolated) August 10, 2026
The two men are bound to square up at least twice next season in El Clasicos following Mourinho’s return to the Santiago Bernabeu. The first of those meetings is slated for October 25 at Camp Nou.
As one fan joked, Barcelona’s recent dominance over their rivals might need Mourinho to intervene on the field as welll.
Real Madrid players in Elclassico would be passing the ball to Pedri on the pitch thinking Jose Mourinho is finally on the pitch to help them. pic.twitter.com/PcsAOf0hFR
— Mr Wills (@Mrwills63) August 9, 2026
Given the fiery nature of both Mourinho and Pedri, fans also expect some sparks to fly when the time comes around.
that mourinho brawl at pitch side when he pushes pedri while he's taking a throw in will be generational https://t.co/lK3E0dhdxY
— Khizer (@haziestknurl) August 9, 2026
Mourinho has sported glowing white hair himself for over a decade now.
The Portuguese earned rare fame when he still had a full head of jet black hair in his 40s.
However, grey strands were already visible by the time Mourinho left Real Madrid in 2013. During his ensuing second stint at Chelsea, the salt and pepper look completely gave way to thoroughly white hair.
Now, Mourinho has come full circle by rocking the same hairdo after being appointed again by Los Blancos in the summer.
Yet, he could barely have guessed he would earn comparisons with Pedri, who is four decades younger than him.
Mourinho and Pedri during the El Clasico https://t.co/CMZLPp4txj pic.twitter.com/eL13iqhq6q
— DON DINEIRO 🇦🇷 (@pjaaayyyyy) August 10, 2026
Pedri, though, is not the only one to have gone to such lengths after the World Cup.
Mourinho’s new Madrid recruit Marc Cucurella went even wilder by getting the face of Spanish manager Luis de la Fuente tattooed on his arm.
Apparently, Alex Baena and Borja Iglesias are soon meant to follow suit, having also taken up the challenge.
Closer to home, Pedri’s club and country teammate Gavi has dyed his hair a vivid pink.
And the saga probably has a few chapters remaining to be added still.
For what it is worth, Pedri at least contributed enough to go through the major transformation. The youngster started five games for La Roja and came on as a substitute thrice, clocking in close to 500 minutes.
Now, his focus turns to Catalunya with the La Liga season about to kick off. Reigning champions Barcelona will begin their campaign away from home against Elche on August 23.
