It’s that time of the year when we look back at achievements over the past 12 months.
For most of us, there’s likely to be a few highlights sat alongside the odd moment we’d rather not remember, but for Joao Pedro, 2025 has been a year he will never forget.
The 24-year-old not only made a £55 million move to Chelsea this summer, but hit the ground running with his new employers, playing a key role in their Club World Cup win, before starting for Brazil in the Maracana and cementing his place as one of the game’s best young players.
Joao Pedro on his whirlwind 2025
“It’s been a truly remarkable year in my life, no doubt about that,” he tells FourFourTwo. “The year a dream came true – playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, in the competition that I’ve always wanted to play in since I was a child: the Premier League.
“Along with that, the historic Club World Cup title, scoring important goals in the semi-final and the final, and making my debut as a starter for the Brazilian national team – playing for them at the Maracana, the greatest stage in football. Unforgettable.”
Pedro picked up his Club World Cup winners’ medal less than a fortnight after joining Chelsea. Could he quite believe how that came about?
“The penny didn’t drop immediately, to be honest with you,” he admits. “It all happened so fast, didn’t it? [Laughs] I only really grasped the magnitude of what we’d accomplished when I got home and saw all of the reaction to it. That was when I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I’ve written my name into the history of one of the biggest football clubs in the world.’ That’s really cool.
“The fact that I’d already been playing in English football for a few seasons was helpful. I already knew Chelsea’s style of play and most of the players. Everything became easier when they welcomed me as soon as I arrived at the training camp. Everyone was very supportive, and they received me with open arms. “That made me feel comfortable and relaxed, so I could play my football.”
Another twist of fate saw Pedro’s first start for Chelsea come in the semi-final against Fluminense, the club where he began his career in Brazil.
“It wasn’t easy facing Fluminense – it’s the club that shaped me as a person and as a footballer,” he continues. “I’ll have an eternal affection for them, but I also needed to show my new club, the management, the coaching staff and my team-mates that they could count on me. So when the referee blew the whistle to start the game, I put all my emotions aside and gave my best as a professional athlete. I ended up scoring two beautiful goals that knocked Fluminense out of the tournament. It was a mix of emotions, because I was very happy that I’d made the final with Chelsea, but also a little sad because I knew it was the game of a lifetime for Fluminense.
“It was definitely a magical day in my life. My first game as a starter for a giant club like Chelsea, I scored both of my team’s goals to send us into the final of the first big Club World Cup in history, and all while facing the team that shaped me. There’s no way it was just an average day!”
Pedro then went on to net in the final, as the Blues cruised to a 3-0 victory over recently crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain.
“I wasn’t surprised,” he asserts. “We had momentum and were getting stronger throughout the competition. After the wins against Palmeiras and Fluminense, two teams who had been playing very well, our confidence increased even further. The whole world was betting on another PSG victory, as they’d recently won the Champions League, but we had belief that we could face them on equal terms. Thank God that our plan worked out and we managed to dominate the match for the whole 90 minutes. We made history.”
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