Matheus Cunha responds to Joao Pedro’s message after his Chelsea debut
Joao Pedro showed Chelsea fans exactly why he was brought in with a dazzling display in the Club World Cup.
The Blues signed the Brazilian earlier this month in a £60million deal and quickly added him to the squad for the Club World Cup.
Chelsea beat competition from Newcastle for Pedro, despite the Magpies’ having a long-standing interest in the forward.
Pedro made an instant impact on his full debut, scoring twice against former club Fluminense to fire Chelsea into the final.
His first goal was a superb curling strike, while his second came at the end of a sharp counter-attack, assisted by Enzo Fernandez.
Pedro’s debut was described as “perfect” by Football Insider after starting ahead of Nicolas Jackson and making the most out of the opportunity.
While Chelsea may finally have found the clinical forward they’ve long needed, the 23-year-old followed up his performance with a post on social media, reacting to the win and celebrating a dream debut in blue.
| Macth statistics | Joao Pedro |
| Minutes played | 60′ |
| Goals | 2 |
| Touches | 25 |
| Ground duels (won) | 5 (2) |
Chelsea stars react as Joao Pedro seals final spot with debut brace
Pedro shared a simple but powerful message on Instagram after his dream debut, posting: “We are finalists!”
The post quickly gathered reactions from across the Premier League. Brighton’s Pervis Estupinan commented: “Incredible, I’m going crazy” while Manchester City’s Savinho and new Manchester United signing Matheus Cunha also liked the post.
Several Chelsea teammates showed their appreciation too, with Liam Delap and Moises Caicedo among those to like the update.
Pedro arrives at Stamford Bridge off the back of a standout season with Brighton, where he was nominated for Premier League Young Player of the Season following a campaign that saw him net 10 goals and register seven assists across all competitions.
Despite Newcastle’s strong interest and Eddie Howe’s push to bring him to Tyneside, Football Insider revealed as early as May that Pedro had already decided he wanted a move to Chelsea, opting to wait for the West London club rather than finalising a deal elsewhere.
Chelsea will now prepare for the Club World Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain, after the French side cruised to a 4-0 victory over Real Madrid.
Chelsea suffer Mohamed Kudus setback
With plenty of new signings already through the door, the club were also interested in West Ham star Mohamed Kudus, but they appear to have missed out.
Football Insider revealed that Kudus is prioritising a move to Tottenham over Chelsea, with Spurs now closing in on a deal for the West Ham star.
With uncertainty surrounding Noni Madueke’s future as Arsenal continue to be linked, Chelsea may look to return to the market for attacking reinforcements. However, their pursuit of Kudus now appears to be over.