Joao Pedro: A Rising Star in the Conversation with Haaland and Benzema

Xabi Alonso did not flinch. Asked if Joao Pedro belongs in the same conversation as Erling Haaland, the Chelsea manager went straight for it.

“I would say yes.”

It was not a throwaway line. The Brazilian has just been named Premier League Player of the Month, two goals and two assists in his first three games setting the early tone for Chelsea’s season. At 24, wearing the club’s number nine shirt and tied to Stamford Bridge until 2034, Joao Pedro has become the face of Alonso’s attack – and, in his manager’s eyes, a striker to measure against the very best.

Haaland, Benzema… and Joao Pedro

Haaland is the benchmark for pure goalscoring in England. The Manchester City forward took last season’s Golden Boot with 27 league goals and has 42 goals and nine assists in his last 57 games for City. Those are absurd numbers.

Joao Pedro’s profile is different, but the output is starting to stack up. Since arriving at Chelsea last summer, he has scored 25 goals and added 11 assists in 57 matches. In his debut campaign he became the first Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to hit 20 goals in a single season. That drought, that famous Chelsea number nine curse, ended with him.

Alonso sees more than numbers, though. He sees echoes of one of the greatest he ever played with.

“In many things he reminds me of Benzema,” Alonso said, drawing a direct line back to his Real Madrid days, when he shared a dressing room with the Frenchman 195 times. “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.”

Karim Benzema’s career speaks for itself: 523 goals in 994 appearances for France, Lyon, Real Madrid and Saudi clubs Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal. To even mention Joao Pedro in that company is a statement of intent.

A different kind of nine

Haaland is a specialist. A penalty-box predator who lives on the last line, obsessed with the final touch. Joao Pedro is built differently.

He has played as a midfielder, a number 10, a winger. He drops into pockets, links play, drifts left, attacks crosses, presses from the front. That versatility, Alonso believes, is what makes the comparison with Benzema so natural.

Where Haaland’s game is about relentless, vertical menace, Joao Pedro offers a more rounded threat. He can finish like a nine, combine like a 10 and carry the ball like a wide forward. For a coach like Alonso, who wants control as well as incision, that blend is gold.

“So yes, he is still young, still things to develop,” Alonso added, “but many, many absolutely outstanding qualities that he has.”

The ceiling, in other words, is nowhere in sight.

From World Cup pain to a clear target

The story has not been all smooth. Joao Pedro’s rise this season comes on the back of a sharp international setback. He was a surprise omission from Brazil’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, a decision taken by national team coach Carlo Ancelotti – the same man who once managed Alonso at Real Madrid.

For any Brazilian forward, missing a World Cup cuts deep. Yet Alonso insists he did not need to weaponise that disappointment.

“He had enough motivation,” the Chelsea boss said. “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 response has been emphatic. Joao Pedro has been recalled by Brazil for September’s fixtures against New Zealand and India, and his form at club level has hardened his status as one of Europe’s most in-form forwards.

Alonso has been just as struck by the person as by the player.

“He has been outstanding. Not just in football terms, but in his personality, his maturity and his desire. He has a very clear goal this season, which is to have a great campaign and score a lot of goals.”

Chelsea have handed him the shirt, the contract and the responsibility. His manager has given him the comparisons that define eras: Haaland for the numbers, Benzema for the craft.

Now the question is simple: can Joao Pedro turn those words into a season that forces everyone else to see him the same way?