Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has declared that Joao Pedro possesses a skillset reminiscent of his former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema, while ranking the Brazil international among the Premier League’s best alongside Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
Pedro, 24, began the season in formidable form, netting two goals and providing two assists in his first three matches. His standout performances earned him the Premier League Player of the Month award for September, marking the first time he has received the accolade.
The forward defeated team-mate Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s previous recipient of the award from September 2024, to claim the honor. Pedro has now scored 25 goals and provided 11 assists in 57 appearances since arriving at Stamford Bridge last summer.
When questioned about comparisons to Haaland, who recently secured the Premier League Golden Boot with 27 goals, Alonso was unequivocal. “I would say yes,” he stated. “If you count how many top strikers we have in the Premier League, I’m sure that Joao Pedro is there. Haaland is for sure there. So I would rate him that way.”
Pedro recently signed a contract extension keeping him at the club until 2034 and was handed the number nine shirt for the upcoming season. He became the first Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to reach the 20-goal mark in a single campaign during his debut season.
While Haaland is renowned primarily as a pure finisher, Pedro offers greater versatility, having previously operated as a midfielder, an attacking midfielder, and a winger. Alonso, who played 195 games alongside Benzema, highlighted the Frenchman’s complete game as a parallel to Pedro’s current attributes.
“In many things he reminds me of Benzema, because 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,” Alonso explained. “So yes, he is still young, still things to develop, but many, many absolutely outstanding qualities that he has.”
Benzema, now 38 and currently a free agent, amassed 523 goals across 994 appearances for clubs including Lyon, Real Madrid, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Hilal.
The discussion also touched on Pedro’s earlier exclusion from Brazil’s World Cup squad by manager Carlo Ancelotti, who previously managed Alonso at Real Madrid. However, Alonso dismissed the idea that this served as motivation, noting, “He had enough motivation.”
“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,” the Chelsea boss added. Pedro has since been recalled to the Brazilian national team for fixtures against New Zealand and India.
Twenty-five goals in his debut season is serious business. Hard to argue with those numbers.
Wait, Xabi Alonso manages Chelsea now? I’m getting my football managers mixed up with the drivers.
I thought he was just a solid poacher, not a box-to-box threat. These praises are sky-high!
Benzema comparisons are bold but Pedro’s versatility really does remind me of Karim’s complete game.