Joao Pedro from Brazil officially joined the Premier League giants Chelsea and signed an 8-year contract. Joao Pedro said that family means everything to him and he is very grateful for his family's continuous support for him to pursue his dreams in football and win the championship with Chelsea.

The 23-year-old Brazilian striker Joao Pedro previously played for Brighton and contributed 10 goals and 6 assists for Brighton in the 2024/25 Premier League season.

Joao Pedro said in an interview, "For me, family is everything. Every time before I step onto the court, I kiss my tattoo. I have the names of my mother and grandmother tattooed on my arm. I want them to live the best life because they have made a lot of sacrifices for me."

"I got their names tattooed as soon as I had the chance so I could always remember them. I love football, of course, but I also want to remember the people who have always supported me. I have always walked onto the pitch with this mentality. Before football became my dream, it was first a dream set for me by my mother. She instilled this idea in my mind when I was a child, hoping that I would follow football and dream of becoming a professional player one day."

Joao Pedro, who came from the youth training of Fluminense, shared, "I was only a teenager at the time, but I had to leave everything familiar and start from scratch. It was a difficult process. At that time, only my mother and I moved to Rio, which is why she is so important to me. For anyone, leaving the familiar city, friends and family is difficult. This was the first shock in my life. But when I started playing for Fluminense, I saw real football."

“I played in different positions during my youth training, including defensive midfielder, midfielder and No. 10. I also played as a winger. It was not until I was in the U17 level that I settled in the striker position. That’s why I often dropped back to receive the ball. I think my overall understanding of the game has improved a lot. This experience is very helpful to me in the game.”

Looking forward to playing for Chelsea

In addition, when he came to England to play football, Joao Pedro played for Watford. Recalling when he came to live in a strange place, Joao Pedro said, "When I came to Watford, everything started again. This is a new place, a new life. Only one friend accompanied me, and my mother and grandmother. I didn't speak English, and the weather was completely different. In the first six months, I could hardly communicate with people."

"Of course it was tough, but if you want to be successful you have to go through tough moments. I got through them and now I'm happy to be here. My experience at Watford made me realise that I wanted to stay in England and continue my career in the Premier League."

On the other hand, Chelsea will travel to Lincoln Financial Field to challenge Palmeiras of the Brazilian Serie A in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Club World Cup.

Talking about his goal at Chelsea, "I used to watch Chelsea games when I was a kid, especially David Luiz, Ramires and William, who all played for Chelsea. When I was a kid I dreamed of joining such a giant club, and now I'm joining Chelsea."

“I’m really looking forward to playing for Chelsea, competing for every trophy and playing in the Champions League and hopefully we can win lots of trophies.”