Fil-Spanish Dro Fernández Scores, Dubbed ‘The Next Paulino Alcántara’
Is Dro Fernández the next Paulino Alcántara? The last time a Filipino football player made an impact with FC Barcelona was when the legendary Alcántara held a record of 395 goals and was once recognized as the club’s top goalscorer.
This iconic man from Iloilo City, Philippines, started with the club in 1912. Since retiring in July 1927, he has been remembered as the greatest Filipino FC Barcelona athlete to ever do it.
Exactly 98 years later, Fil-Spanish Pedro Fernández Sarmiento—or popularly known as “Dro”—has created worldwide buzz in his debut performance for the FC Barcelona squad, scoring a goal against Vissel Kobe (Japan) yesterday, July 27, 2025.
Dro was officially called for FC Barcelona as a substitute in the 79th minute. By the 88th minute, the 17-year old player had already shown his prowess by getting past the veterans and successfully scoring a goal.
No first game jitters, no rookie mistakes, just straightforward new generation talent for Coach Hansi Flick.
Dro’s Potential for the PMNFT
Dro’s mixed nationality comes from his Spanish father, who is from Galicia, and his mother, who is of Filipino descent.
PH football fans now arise with classic curious cat questions—will we be seeing Dro play for the Philippine Men’s National Football Team? Will Dro also begin a new era for football in the Philippines like the legend Alcántara?
Dro grew up learning football in Spain with Val Miñor Nigran until he transferred in 2022 to La Masia (FC Barcelona youth program). In 2025, he started training with FC Barcelona men’s team and immediately caught the attention of Flick, putting him in the preseason lineup for their Asian tour.
It is to be noted, however, that there is no assurance yet of Dro officially becoming a Blaugrana in the men’s team lineup during their actual season.
With Dro not becoming part of Spain’s national team yet, he is still eligible to pour his talent over to Coach Carles Cuadrat and the Philippine team.
Earlier this year, a Filipino footballer Diego Aspiras also joined Barcelona City FC with an aim to represent the nation. Today, conversations about Dro Fernández embracing his Filipino roots are circulating amongst the fans.
Who knows? Just like Dro’s performance last night, he may just be making an impact at the last minute.
