Veteran winger Pedro reflected on his controversial move from Roma to Lazio and responded to Jose Mourinho’s barbed comments.
The Portuguese coach suggested that the Biancocelesti winger would make a ‘great diver’ after the recent Derby della Capitale, which ended goalless just before the international break. Both sides started the season poorly but have started to recover in recent weeks.
Pedro spent a single season with Roma before joining Lazio on a free transfer in the summer of 2021. Since his arrival in Maurizio Sarri’s squad, the experienced winger has scored 19 goals and provided 11 assists across 101 total appearances.
Speaking in an interview with Sport Italia (via TMW), Pedro first responded to Mourinho’s frustrated suggestion that he’d be a good diver.
We all know what Mou is like, he has also done it in the past. He says one thing, he says another. I remember when we won against his Real Madrid he said other things, when we beat his United 4-0 – I was at Chelsea – he said even more.
Last year, in the Rome derbies, he said even more. It’s always like this, when he doesn’t talk about the referee, he talks about the schedule, about a player who throws himself to the ground.
I know him very well, he’s a very funny man. I took it with great fairness because I know he uses words to diffuse the great tension of the derby. I know him very well, having had him as a coach.
He also looked back at his decision to leave Roma for Lazio in the summer of 2021, explaining why the controversial move occurred. He has continued to be a source of frustration for Giallorossi fans.
The story was born in the press conference, because it was announced that I was out of the squad. From that moment on many teams started calling, one of these was Lazio.
Sarri himself asked me: ‘What’s happening? I saw that you are out of the squad and that you have a problem with the club.’ I replied to him that I didn’t know the reason for the club’s decision and that I was training with the Primavera.
We had never talked about it. He wanted to understand what had happened because, knowing me very well, he knows that I always train to the maximum. I hadn’t spoken to Mourinho. I wanted to talk to the owners, but they told me it wasn’t possible.
So, after three weeks, with the market closing, I spoke to Sarri who told me: ‘Come here, there’s room for you’. I had already worked with him, and I took the opportunity to play in a historic team.
