Joao Pedro: Mother's boundless love and the dream of the FIFA Club World Cup

Joao Pedro, the son of a prisoner with great love from his mother, is the hope for Chelsea to face PSG in the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

From Rio to the Club World Cup final

The night Chelsea played one of the longest matches in football history as well as the FIFA Club World Cup – the round of 16 tie against Benfica lasted more than four and a half hours because of storms – the striker who took them to the final against PSG was on the beach in Rio de Janeiro with friends.

Joao Pedro was still a Brighton player on holiday at the time. But he was always on guard.

Joao Pedro goes from Rio beach to Club World Cup final. Photo: EFE

His representatives have announced that Chelsea, who beat Benfica on 28 June, want to sign him for as long as they remain in the league.

Chelsea paid 64 million euros and on July 2nd took him from the beach to the US. He made his debut two days later in the quarter-final against Palmeiras, then on July 8th scored two great goals against Fluminense in the semi-final – the same team that saved him as a child.

“When I was a kid, I had nothing and they gave me everything,” he said after the Fluminense elimination. “They brought me into the light. If I am here today, it is because they believed in me . ”

He made his first-team debut for Fluminense at 17 and was sold to Watford for €20m a year later. He stayed for four seasons – half of which were spent in the Championship – before joining Brighton in the summer of 2023 for €32m.

Before being brought to the big stage by Fluminense, Joao Pedro's life was not easy.

Mother's love

Joao was born in 2001 in Ribeiralao Preto, in the interior of Sao Paulo state, and lived with his mother, Flavia, since he was a child after his parents separated.

His father, Jose Joao de Jesus – also known as Chicao – had a brief spell playing for Botafogo-SP, but was later sent to prison.

He was sentenced to 16 years in prison – half served – for his role in the murder of a 17-year-old boy he said had insulted him. According to the verdict, he hired someone to do the killing.

While his father was almost absent from his life, Joao Pedro started playing football at the age of 5 at the football school of the club where his father used to play.

Joao Pedro grew up in the love of his mother. Photo: EFE

One of the coaches at the time, Alexandre Ferreira, told O Globo newspaper that Joao Pedro showed his goalscoring ability early on: “He was smart, he always wanted the ball. While the other kids were playing, he always had the ball next to him.

Joao particularly stands out in his finishing, which is his favourite part, with an above average accuracy rate . ”

However, his career began to go astray. Botafogo-SP did not want to keep him, so he tried his luck at the Santos academy but was also rejected.

Then a risky opportunity arose: Fluminense scouts spotted Joao Pedro at a tournament in Mato Grosso and offered him a place, but this meant leaving Sao Paulo for Rio de Janeiro.

His mother decided to take the risk – and the risk was immediate. She lost her job, and the two of them fell into financial difficulty.

“I only had a pair of sweatpants and a pair of shoes ,” Joao Pedro said in an interview. “My mother only ate eggs and left the meat for me. She always said it was important that I eat . ”

Dream with Chelsea

The mother and daughter almost had to return to Sao Paulo, but then Fluminense offered to pay Flavia the minimum wage.

She was so grateful that she turned down several offers until Watford made a huge offer, starting the journey to bring Joao Pedro to the beach where Chelsea found him for the quarter-finals.

Joao Pedro has a promising future with Chelsea. Photo: CFC

The Rio holiday was not all about sand and friends. “I have a personal trainer and I keep training to be ready,” he said a few days ago. That support comes from Thiago Silva – his semi-final opponent and Fluminense captain.

A few years ago, the former Chelsea player called Joao Pedro to offer encouragement and help. He advised Joao to hire Caio Mello – a physiotherapist who had been with him for more than a decade.

“Imagine if Chelsea called and I wasn't ready,” Joao Pedro shared.

It happened. “We signed Joao Pedro because this season we have faced a lot of teams defending low blocks, and he has great skills in tight spaces,” said Enzo Maresca after reaching the final.

“Because he is on vacation, he is also fresher, which is very important . ”

After an impressive debut, Joao Pedro confidently challenges the perfect team, with Luis Enrique's aesthetic style of play (2am, July 14).

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/joao-pedro-tinh-thuong-cua-me-va-fifa-club-world-cup-voi-chelsea-2421118.html