Joao Pedro: Chelsea's New Forward Star in Comparison to Haaland and Benzema
Xabi Alonso did not flinch. Asked if Joao Pedro belongs in the same conversation as Erling Haaland, the Chelsea head coach went straight to the point.
“I would say yes.”
For a 24-year-old only three games into the new Premier League season, that is heavyweight company. But Joao Pedro has started this campaign like a forward intent on crashing the elite party: two goals, two assists in his first three league outings and, on Friday, his first Premier League Player of the Month award.
He beat his own team-mate Cole Palmer to it, ending the midfielder’s grip on the prize after Palmer’s September 2024 win. This time the spotlight fell on Chelsea’s new number nine.
From Diego Costa’s shadow to Chelsea’s new reference point
Chelsea handed Joao Pedro the number nine shirt in August and locked him into a new deal until 2034 last month. The responsibility is obvious. So is the response.
Last season, in his debut year at Stamford Bridge, he became the first Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to hit 20 goals in a single campaign. Across all competitions since arriving last summer, he has 25 goals and 11 assists in 57 matches.
Those are serious numbers, but still shy of the machine he is now being measured against. In his last 57 games for Manchester City, Haaland has scored 42 times and added nine assists. A pure finisher. A penalty-box predator.
Joao Pedro is cut differently. He has operated as a midfielder, a number 10 and a winger in his career. He drops off, drifts wide, links play, presses, creates. Chelsea have not just given him the nine; they have given him the keys.
‘He reminds me of Benzema’
Alonso’s comparison did not stop at Haaland. When the Spaniard looks at Joao Pedro, his mind goes back to Madrid.
“In many things he reminds me of Benzema,” Alonso said, drawing on his 195 games alongside the former Ballon d’Or winner at Real Madrid. “He is good in the box, he is good out of the box, he is good coming to his left side, he is good with the head, he is very complete, he is intelligent.”
That is not a casual name-drop. Karim Benzema, now 38 and a free agent, has scored 523 goals in 994 appearances for France, Lyon, Real Madrid and Saudi Arabian clubs Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal. He built a career on subtlety as much as ruthlessness: the extra pass, the clever movement, the ability to be both finisher and creator.
Joao Pedro is still at the beginning of that road, but Alonso sees the outline.
“He is still young, still things to develop,” the Chelsea boss added, “but many, many absolutely outstanding qualities that he has.”
The message is clear: Haaland’s volume, Benzema’s variety. Chelsea believe they have a forward who can live somewhere between those two worlds.
Brazil pain, club response
Not everyone has been as quick to elevate Joao Pedro. When Brazil named their World Cup squad for the summer, his name was missing. For a player in form at a club of Chelsea’s size, it was a jolt.
The national team door has since creaked open again. He has been recalled for September’s fixtures against New Zealand and India, a chance to re-establish himself on the international stage.
Alonso insists that snub did not need to be turned into fuel.
“He had enough motivation,” he said. “He already had enough within him, so I didn’t need to go there. It was painful for him, but that is in the past. We are now focused on what he is doing well and what he can do better.”
What he is doing well is obvious: scoring, creating, carrying Chelsea’s attack. But Alonso’s praise went beyond numbers.
“He has been outstanding. Not just in football terms, but in his personality, his maturity and his desire. He has a very clear goal this season, which is to have a great campaign and score a lot of goals.”
The stage is set. The shirt is his. The comparisons are as bold as they come. Now the question for Joao Pedro is simple: can he turn this early surge into a season that truly justifies being mentioned with Haaland and Benzema?
