Joao Pedro (left) had a dream debut. © APA/afp / TIMOTHY A. CLARY

Chelsea's goal hero: "I owe everything to Fluminense"

From beach vacationer to Chelsea hero – João Pedro wrote a fairytale football story at the Club World Cup.

July 09, 2025

From: dpa

The striker, who trained at Fluminense, practically single-handedly led his new club, Chelsea FC, to the final of the tournament in the USA with two fantastic goals in a 2-0 (1-0) win. "It was a dream start for me. It couldn't have gone better," said the 23-year-old after his big day at MetLife Stadium. What a crazy story! Fluminense is the boyhood club of João Pedro Junqueira de Jesus. However, the Brazilian moved to England at the age of 18.

And now, with the opening of the transfer window at the beginning of the month, he's moved from Brighton & Hove Albion to the Blues. He promptly scored his first two goals for them in his second appearance: one with great skill and skill, shooting into the top corner from 20 meters. And one with brute force, firing under the bar.

The Brazilian scored two goals. © APA/afp / FRANCK FIFE

However, when scoring his brace in front of 70.556 spectators in the final stadium outside New York, the striker, who was named "Man of the Match," refrained from celebrating exuberantly. He even raised his arms apologetically.

No goal celebration: “That’s easy to explain

"It's easy to explain," said João Pedro, later sitting in a white tent outside the stadium in front of the world press and briefly answering two questions. "Fluminense gave me everything when I was young. I'm grateful," he said of his still-close connection to the club from Rio de Janeiro. He even added that it was a "pity" that his former club wasn't in the final.

He didn't want to celebrate against his former club. © APA/afp / JUAN MABROMATA

"But I'm a professional footballer. And I have a job to do on the pitch. I play for Chelsea now. And they pay me to score goals," he said. João Pedro cost Chelsea over 60 million euros.

Half the transfer fee earned

And he's already recouped almost half of his transfer fee after just 96 minutes of action. Reaching the final will earn Chelsea $30 million in prize money. A win on Sunday against Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid would boost the bonus to $40 million.

But Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca wasn't thinking too much about money when he spoke about his new goalscorer, who has the potential to become a top striker. "I'm very happy for him. We knew he was a very good player and could decide games. The interesting thing is: he came to us straight from vacation. Maybe that's why he's just fresher," Maresca said.

Joao Pedro has already made quite an impact at Chelsea. © APA/afp / ANGELA WEISS

João Pedro apparently doesn't miss the beach life. Instead, he's looking forward to more hard work in the New York heat against PSG or Real Madrid. "Now we have to focus on the final," he said before disappearing from the massive MetLife Stadium until Sunday.