Joao Pedro, the One Who Ended Chelsea's 13 Trillion Wait

NEW JERSEY, WEDNESDAY — Playing for just one hour was enough for Joao Pedro to show his new teammates how to be the true striker that Chelsea needs. Having joined just six days ago, the Brazilian forward led "The Blues" to the final of the Club World Cup.

It took Pedro just two games to prove himself a solution to Chelsea's lack of a prolific striker. After making a cameo appearance in the 2025 Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras, lasting just 36 minutes, he immediately scored a brace in the first game and was named in Chelsea's starting lineup.

He became the main striker for Chelsea against the Brazilian representative, Fluminense, on Wednesday (9/7/2025 WIB), at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, United States. Pedro scored the first goal for his new team with a precise shot from outside the penalty area in the 18th minute.

Pedro's debut goal with Chelsea demonstrated his keen goal-scoring instinct. He noticed that the position of Fluminense's veteran goalkeeper, Fabio, who is 44 years old, was too advanced from the goal line.

A kick directing the ball to the bottom left corner of the Fluminense goal was enough to shake the net of the Brazilian representation. He scored the first goal for Chelsea with the first shot at MetLife Stadium.

About 11 minutes after coming on as a substitute, the 23-year-old forward capitalized on an assist from midfielder Enzo Fernandez to assert the advantage for the Blues. Without wasting much time, Pedro was already able to play cohesively to receive excellent service from his teammates.

Two goals from three shots prove that Pedro is not an ordinary striker. At the very least, he has a great chance of breaking Chelsea's curse in the search for a sharp number nine player.

Since the end of the Didier Drogba era, the Blues have struggled to find a player who can guarantee double-digit goals and provide crucial goals in important matches.

"It's like a dream, I couldn't have imagined a better situation. I only arrived last week and now I'm playing in the final. (The Club World Cup) could be my first trophy," Pedro said, as reported by the BBC.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca acknowledged Pedro's significant contribution to the team's progress to the final. Chelsea will face the winner of the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid on Thursday (10/5/2025) WIB.

"One thing about Joao (Pedro) is that we already know how good he is. We understand his ability to move inside and connect the play. That is the reason we brought him into the team," said Maresca as reported by the FIFA website.

It is not easy for Chelsea to acquire a sharp striker. Since the ownership transition from Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich to American businessman Todd Boehly, they have recruited 19 strikers.

Pedro was recruited with a transfer fee of 60 million pounds, or approximately Rp 1.32 trillion, from Brighton & Hove Albion. His collection of 30 goals from 70 games with "The Seagulls," the nickname for Brighton, serves as a foundation for Pedro to join Chelsea and opens up the opportunity to elevate his career by playing at a top club in England.

By bringing in Pedro, Boehly has already spent over 600 million pounds (Rp 13.2 trillion) in search of new goal sources for Chelsea.

Several forwards were brought in by Boehly, such as Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, David Fofana, Mykhailo Mudryk, Marc Guiu, Christopher Nkunku, and Nicolas Jackson, but none of them truly made the Blue supporters rave about their performances.

Two goals in his first two Chelsea appearances signal Pedro's potential as a key player in Enzo Maresca's plans. With creative midfielders and wingers, it's not difficult to become a poacher at Chelsea.

The attackers are supported by creative midfielders, such as Enzo and Cole Palmer, and assisted by wingers who create space and provide precise passes, including Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke, and Nkunku.

Chelsea's central attackers only need to sharpen their finishing skills. Of course, it is also essential to complement this with precise decision-making and excellent shooting accuracy.

When Pedro left the field due to injury in the 60th minute, the anomalous performance struck the Blues once again. Six shots in the final 30 minutes of the match were all off target.

In fact, Pedro's replacement, Jackson, frustrated Palmer due to his decision to take the opportunity himself instead of passing to Palmer in the 80th minute. Jackson's shot hit the goalpost and went out to the right side of Fluminense's goal. Meanwhile, Palmer was already standing unmarked in front of the Brazilian team's goal.

If he can consistently be a source of new goals for Chelsea in the 2025-2026 season, Pedro will not only become a new idol at Stamford Bridge. He has a great chance of becoming the new eternal number nine for the Brazilian national team. Like Chelsea, the "Selecao" has also lost a sharp goal predator in recent years.

"Playing at Chelsea is an opportunity for him (Pedro) to elevate his career. He's on the right track. We can see his potential, and hopefully, Pedro can live up to that expectation," said Wales legend Gareth Bale in his analysis to DAZN.

Thiago Silva, the central defender and captain of Fluminense, tipped his hat to Pedro's performance. He not only faced Pedro when he was still playing for Chelsea, but Silva and Pedro also shared the same physical coach.

"This kid is special, I really like him. I didn't expect him to put in such an inspiring performance. It's a shame that a player from this club eliminated us, but it's certainly a happy moment for him," Silva said, as quoted by Globo.

Silva referred to Pedro, who is a graduate of the Fluminense academy. Pedro has been with Fluminense since he was 10 years old. He played for the first team of the "Tricolor" in 2019 before moving to Watford in January 2020.