Joao Pedro exclusive: Chelsea new boy on title ambitions, being Brazil No9 and his Ballon d’Or dream

Brazilian has made an instant impact at Stamford Bridge and tells Standard Sport that he is only just getting started

João Pedro has taken to life at Chelsea with such consummate ease that it is hard to see how he could ever be overcome with nerves.

The Brazilian has scored five goals in his first five starts since joining the Blues for up to £60million midway through their Club World Cup campaign in the United States this summer.

Yet his first thought upon arrival from Brighton was how he would be received by his new team-mates, and particularly by Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer .

“Cole is a superstar,” he says. “When I came to Chelsea I was a little bit scared about how he was going to react, because I was the main guy at Brighton. I knew Chelsea would be different. I said: ‘Cole, I’m here to help you’.”

João Pedro is speaking to Standard Sport in an exclusive interview from his home, a short drive from Chelsea’s Cobham training ground.

João Pedro was speaking exclusively to Standard Sport

The Standard

He and Palmer combined with ruthless efficiency this summer, both scoring as Chelsea thrashed Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final of the revamped Club World Cup . Whether or not that competition catches on, the João Pedro-Palmer-synergy looks set to.

“He knows I can help him, and I know he can help me,” he says. “We have a good chemistry on the pitch; I think he feels the same. Together, we can win more titles for Chelsea .”

The Premier League title this season? João Pedro doesn’t shy away from that ambition.

“It’s too early to say whether we’re going to win it or not,” he says. “But if you watch us, you’ll say we have a good chance. I agree.”

Chelsea are second only to Liverpool after three games, an underwhelming 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the season rectified by 5-1 and 2-0 wins over West Ham and Fulham in which João Pedro scored twice and assisted twice.

He has joined a Chelsea team that manager Enzo Maresca says can “dominate” English football “in the next five to ten years” , having spent more than £1.3billion on some of the brightest young talent in the world since the club was taken over by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in 2022.

A record summer of transfer spending has laid the foundations for a golden era of modern-day strikers in the Premier League.

Chelsea’s new No20 has made his big move, as have Viktor Gyökeres, Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Šeško and, at last, Alexander Isak. Erling Haaland still sets the benchmark.

João Pedro joined Chelsea for £60m from Brighton in the summer

The Standard

“Big clubs from England have brought the top strikers from Europe this summer. It will be interesting to compete with them for the Golden Boot,” says João Pedro , as his confidence shines through again.

As well as the Premier League Golden Boot, he also has his sights on next summer’s World Cup where he wants to be Brazil’s No9. There is an urgency, an obsession, to be the best. One goal in particular motivates him.

“It would be a dream one day to win the Ballon d’Or. I believe in myself. Everything is possible. Maybe it can happen.”

João Pedro’s move to Chelsea happened at breakneck speed.

He was keeping fit with a personal trainer while on holiday with friends in Rio de Janeiro when Chelsea made contact. Sam Jewell, their director of global recruitment, knew João Pedro from his time as head of recruitment at Brighton. The pair met in Rio to finalise his move.

He flew immediately to America to join the Chelsea squad at the Club World Cup and was soon scoring both goals in a 2-0 semi-final win against his first club Fluminense , netting again in the final against PSG in New Jersey.

João Pedro made an immediate impact to help Chelsea win the Club World Cup

Getty Images

“When I arrived in the USA, Enzo said: ‘I want you as a No9’. In training, he says, ‘João, you need to be more clinical in this part, make a touch to the right here.’ I love this kind of coach. If you don’t get feedback, it’s difficult to improve.

“I moved to Fluminense aged ten, and I was a No10. At Under-16s, one director there told me I was going to be a No9. Okay, no problem, so I started to play as a No9. In three games, I scored 15 goals. Then in a tournament in Belo Horizonte, I was second top-scorer, and Watford started to call my agent.”

He joined Watford at 18 in January 2020, registering 32 goal contributions in 109 matches. Brighton paid £30m for him in 2023 and he took that number to 40 in 70 at the Amex. He has seven goal contributions in six appearances for Chelsea . He continues on an upward trajectory.

“Old No9s held it up, were physical; my style is different,” he says. “I’m very good in one-versus-ones, can pass, get assists, score. I’m a modern No9 who can play No10. I play in small spaces.” He admits he must “score more goals with my head”, despite netting two headers in Chelsea’s last two games.

“When I was at Brighton, I told my agent I wanted to play in the Champions League,” he says. “I’m very excited for that with Chelsea .”

João Pedro’s arrival came complete with the customary long-term Chelsea contract. But he only sees his eight-year deal as a compliment, saying: “The team is young. Everyone has a long contract so we can play together for a long time. If we all know each other, we’re more likely to win titles.”

Enzo Fernandez is the team-mate whose quality has surprised him most, and he partners the Argentine with Moisés Caicedo - just as Maresca does in midfield - when listing his closest friends at Chelsea .

He says he loves that Reece James plays like he “doesn’t feel any pressure”, and is confident his link-up with Palmer will bear more fruit once the England man returns from a groin injury.

“Cole doesn’t like to talk much, but we talk about how good the season can be if we link up,” he says. “When I joined in the USA, he asked me how many goals I am going to score this season. I call him sometimes. After he didn’t play at West Ham, the next day I texted him. We have a very good relationship.”

“When I was in Brighton, I was missing London a little bit,” João Pedro admits. “I had a chance to move to another club, but I chose Chelsea because it’s in London, it’s a big club, and I knew in my head it was the right move.” That other club he is referring to is Newcastle, who failed with a £50m bid days before he joined Chelsea .

Life in London has lots going on, not least because tranquillity is rare in João Pedro’s house in Surrey. His two Pomeranians, Pandora and Chanel, make sure of that, yapping away from in the kitchen.

João Pedro at home with his two Pomeranians, Pandora and Chanel

The Standard

He spends much of his time at Chelsea with his Brazilian team-mates Andrey Santos and teen sensation Estêvão, who he has already taken under his wing.

“We always stay together at breakfast, lunch, training,” he says. “I’ve known Andrey for more than eight years because we have the same sponsor. Andrey is funny, we joke a lot. Estêvão is shy. It’s difficult for him to adapt. I try to push him to ask for his breakfast in English.

“Sometimes training is too long for him and he feels tired before gym. I don’t always need to do the gym, but I go with him because this is very important for him. He knows how physical the Premier League is. Me and Andrey push him.”

So what makes Estêvão so special? João Pedro relaxes into his sofa.

“Mate, he’s from the street. You can see he is natural. Tosin [Adarabioyo] said to me: ‘João, wow. Estêvão is amazing’. Playing for Brazil and Chelsea at 18, oh my God. He’s going to be like Vinícius Jr.”

Days off at Brighton used to be spent with Tottenham Brazilians past and present Emerson Royal and Richarlison.

“Now I meet with Andrey, because my girlfriend knows his.” He even goes fishing with Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz... in Portsmouth.

When not out with football friends, João Pedro spends time with his dogs, and chats on social platform Discord with friends from Brazil , Spain, Portugal and England, many of them musicians.

“In Brazil , you either try to become a footballer or make music. I can sing; it’s a passion,” he says. “I like to make music with friends in the studio.”

He cites his mother Flavia and grandmother Dalva as hugely influential in his journey, and has their names tattooed on each of his arms.

“My mum stopped work to live with me when I moved from São Paulo to Rio; my gran kept working and sent us money to survive,” he says.

In Brazil talented players often only move cities to live in academies after they are 14. João Pedro was ten, such was his talent.

He once said the best player he had played with in England was James Milner, the 39-year-old Brighton veteran.

Standing by that even after his move to Chelsea and explaining why, he says: “At his age, he arrived early in the gym, pushed young players; sometimes maybe a bad thing had happened to him but he was always happy.

“His mentality is why he’s played for so long. I said to him: ‘James, I want to play for a big club’. He made me promise I would never stop pushing my limits. He is an inspiration. He won everything, and I want to win these titles too. Mentality can be the difference-maker on the pitch.”

João Pedro’s girlfriend Khadije is eager to show off his proud display of Brazil caps - three so far with more on offer imminently when the Seleção face Chile and Bolivia in World Cup qualifiers in South America.

“When we speak about football, we think about Brazil ,” he smiles. “Brazil is love, passion. As a kid, I watched Neymar a lot, and, on YouTube, Ronaldo, Romário, Ronaldinho. Everyone dreams to wear No9 for Brazil in the World Cup. I need to do my job here, and then Mr [Carlo] Ancelotti will choose. I think I have a good chance.”

João Pedro in Brazil training this week ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia

Getty Images

Tottenham’s Richarlison, Real Madrid’s Endrick and Nottingham Forest’s Igor Jesus are his major rivals for that No9 shirt, he says, adding: “But I don’t feel pressure.” He accepts, though, that Brazilians in the Premier League can face more scrutiny. “I don’t want to say names, but this happened with one player last season. He went to another country and did very well.” He is talking about former Manchester United winger Antony.

“I’ve come to a big club at the right time, because I want to be in the Brazil squad for the World Cup,” he says. “If I do play, the dream will have come true. In Rio, the kids were coming and saying, ‘Hey, make sure you score for us’.”

First he must continue scoring for Chelsea .

In time, João Pedro hopes to “match” what Didier Drogba achieved at Stamford Bridge, to become one of the most important players in Chelsea’s history.

“For sure, because I have good players around me,” he says. “Step by step, but I need to stay humble. If we won the Premier League and Champions League, it will be a top season! And if you win titles, you can be a legend.”