Opinion: Joao Pedro lifts Chelsea to victory, but stays loyal to his past
The Brazilian fired the English side into the Club World Cup final
On a sweltering Tuesday afternoon under an oppressive 95-degree heat, we were reminded that even in an era of bloated transfer fees and corporate stadiums, the game can still touch the heart.
Joao Pedro, making his first start for Chelsea, scored twice against Fluminense, the Brazilian club that raised him, and refused to celebrate either goal. In doing so, he gave us something special.
“It was a dream. I don't think it could have been better,” he said. “I can just say sorry [to Fluminense], but I have to be professional. I play for Chelsea. They pay me to score goals.”
Fluminense have every reason to be proud. Their former prodigy was the best player on the field and he carried himself like someone who hadn’t forgotten where he came from. When German Cano’s turnover led to Joao Pedro’s curling 20-yard strike in the 18th minute, and his sweeping move ended with rifling the second goal under the crossbar in the 56th, Joao Pedro didn’t gloat.
Instead, he chose to honor them.
Let’s be clear, this wasn’t just any game. Chelsea’s 2-0 victory didn’t just earn them a spot in the Club World Cup final. It was a meeting of worlds: A young man who once dreamed in the youth ranks of Fluminense now playing against them.
Nonetheless, Joao Pedro didn’t let the moment become a spectacle. His goals, as precise as they were painful for his boyhood club, were followed by stillness.
In a game where goals are often few and celebrations crazy, we got restraint. It truly was respect in its purest form.
After both goals, Joao Pedro stood there unapologetically with his arms in the air.
“When I was young, I didn’t have anything,” he said after the game. “[Fluminense] gave everything to me.”
That quote should echo louder than the more than 70,000 in attendance at MetLife Stadium just outside New York or even the buzz that’s already building around Sunday’s all-European final that will pit the London club against either Paris Saint-German or Real Madrid.
“Premier League top four, we won the Conference League and now we are in a final here. It is fantastic,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said. “Finally, we have the last game of the season and hopefully we can win it.”
Just a few weeks ago, he was a Brighton player. Against Fluminense, he made his first start under Maresca — after the club paid a $55 million transfer fee — and scored twice as Nicolas Jackson sat on the bench and Liam Delap missed the game due to suspension.
As a result of both goals, Joao Pedro has, as London’s Daily Mail put it, “practically paying for himself” given that the victory banked Chelsea an additional $22 million on top of the $60 million Chelsea had already secured by participating in FIFA’s expanded tournament.
The match had other storylines. Moises Caicedo left the game late with an ankle injury. VAR overturned what looked like a Fluminense penalty kick. Marc Cucurella cleared a Fluminense chance off the line.
None of those moments, however, stuck like Joao Pedro’s restrained brilliance.
Chelsea now awaits either Real Madrid or PSG in a final that will guarantee Europe its 12th consecutive Club World Cup title. That inevitability shouldn’t overshadow what happened on Tuesday: A player scored against his past — and chose class over celebration.