23-year-old Joao Pedro (born 26/9/2001) who joined Chelsea on 2 July, signing a long-term contract that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2032, was the star player for his new team in the semi-final against Fluminense, for the Club World Cup which is being successfully held in the United States. The Blues invested 64 million euros by giving Brighton to acquire him, and an additional amount of 5 million in potential bonuses for achieving goals. The Brazilian forward who joined the academy system of Fluminense and his mother moved with him to Rio de Janeiro so that she could help him. As he progressed through the club's academy, he switched positions from defensive midfielder to attacking midfielder and then to striker.

On 19 October 2018, before he had even made his first-team debut, Championship side Watford signed him on a five-year contract until January 2020. On 28 March 2019, João Pedro made his debut for Fluminense's men's team, coming on as a substitute in injury time in a 2–1 defeat to arch-rivals Flamengo in the Campeonato Carioca. A month later, on 29 April, he made his league debut as a stoppage-time substitute in a 1–0 defeat to Goiás. He then scored seven goals in his next four games, including a hat-trick in a 4-1 Copa Sudamericana win over Atletico Nacional.

His heart was set on Chelsea

Although Pedro was linked with a move to Newcastle, reports suggest he had his heart set on Chelsea. Despite both clubs offering him a move away and a place in the top flight of the UEFA Champions League.

he opted for the London club. His move makes him the fourth player to move from Brighton to Chelsea since 2022, following the arrivals of Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez and Moises Caicedo. With Pedro's high-profile move, Brighton have recovered almost £300m from Chelsea in transfers over the past three years.

2 goals against Fluminense

It all started in the 18th minute, when Pedro found himself in the right position. After an initial cross from Pedro Neto was blocked by Thiago Silva, the ball came to Pedro on the edge of the area. The Brazilian, making his first start for Chelsea, controlled the ball perfectly, took a moment to settle down and unleashed a stunning curling shot that left Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio hopeless.

João Pedro didn’t stop there. He doubled Chelsea’s lead in the 56th minute during a lightning-fast counterattack. With Cole Palmer about to lose the ball, he cleverly played a back pass to Argentine Enzo Fernandes in the middle. With room to move, Fernandes played a perfectly timed pass to Pedro, who entered the area and fired a stunning shot that sent the ball first hitting the crossbar and then into the net.

Pedro again showed humility by refusing to celebrate. His team-mate coach, Enzo Maresca, was more demonstrative this time. He exchanged his earlier surprise for a few enthusiastic punches before turning to tactical adjustments. After that goal, Pedro's debut was complete as he was replaced by Nicholas Jackson shortly after the 60th minute.

So in a thrilling performance at the Club World Cup, Chelsea defeated Fluminense 2-0 and now in Sunday's final, they face either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid...