João Pedro was recruited earlier this summer from Premier League competitor Brighton.
He immediately paid off the around 700 million kronor that Chelsea paid out to get the Brazilian to Stamford Bridge.
Showed respect
Pedro made a strong impression in his debut against Palmeiras in the quarterfinals. An even bigger one came in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The 23-year-old scored Chelsea's leading goal, a direct hit in one corner after 18 minutes of play. In the second half, the Brazilian increased to 2–0 – but again refused to celebrate his goal.
A way to show his respect for the club he came to as a ten-year-old and belonged to from 2011 to 2020. That year he was recruited by Watford. João Pedro only managed to play 29 league matches for Fluminense before moving to England.
Just a few minutes after the 2–0 goal, Pedro was forced to make a substitution.
Chelsea will meet either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid in the final on Sunday. The semifinal will be decided on Wednesday evening.
Criticized World Championship
The championship has received harsh criticism and been considered unnecessary by coaching profiles such as the national team's head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson and Liverpool's former manager Jürgen Klopp.
After nearly a month of play, it's soon time to crown a champion in the tournament which for the first time is decided with 32 participating clubs.
More than a title is at stake. The winner will play in around one billion kronor, approximately one tenth of the total prize money. Just over half of the pot is distributed among all participating teams, the rest according to performance.