Joao Pedro’s rise, by those who know him | OneFootball

Joao Pedro’s emergence as Chelsea’s spearhead has felt inevitable to those who nurtured him at Watford. On Saturday the 24-year-old faces Manchester City in his first FA Cup final at Wembley.

“I remember telling him once that he could be the Michael Jordan of the team,” said Slaven Bilic. “You have to think big, it will be a waste otherwise,” he told The Athletic.

His debut season has been a rare bright spot, with 15 Premier League goals, fourth behind Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago and Antoine Semenyo, and none from penalties. He has passed 20 in all competitions, including a spectacular overhead kick in a 3-1 loss at Nottingham Forest this month. He was named in Brazil’s provisional 55-man World Cup squad this week and, with eight caps, is expected to make the final cut for North America.

Pedro arrived from Fluminense in January 2020, the deal agreed at 16 and completed at 18. “I saw him as a son,” said former Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes. “He was one of the few I saw with a winning mentality from the start.”

“When I started training, that is when I saw the best of him,” said Dan Gosling. “Playing in big games for Chelsea or leading the line for Brazil, it’s his natural habitat.”

Watford’s churn and two relegations tested him, and Bilic made him captain when available. Brighton signed him for just under £30million in June 2023. Roy Hodgson reflected, “You could see the qualities which made him a star.”

If Chelsea are to beat City at Wembley, Pedro could be one of the key men.

Source: NY Times