Joao Pedro took simply 31 seconds to make an announcement about how he’s dealing with the so-called curse of the quantity 9 shirt at Chelsea.
The Brazilian deftly lifted his shot over Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno to set his aspect on their technique to a dramatic 3-2 win at Craven Cottage in supervisor Xabi Alonso's first sport in cost on Monday.
It was a memorable weekend for Joao Pedro personally, having been handed the coveted quantity 9 shirt and improved monetary phrases on a brand new contract that can run till 2034.
It may appear trite, however there’s a sizeable group of Chelsea supporters who imagine within the so-called curse.
Not since Dutch striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink left the membership in 2004 have the membership had a prolific striker within the quantity 9 shirt.
Didier Drogba wore quantity 11 throughout his profitable spell at Stamford Bridge and Diego Costa had the quantity 19 shirt, however high-profile forwards together with Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, Radamel Falcao and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggled whereas sporting quantity 9.
All endured tough and comparatively quick intervals on the membership.
The final participant to put on the shirt earlier than Joao Pedro was Liam Delap, who’s presently in talks with Nottingham Forest about leaving Stamford Bridge after scoring just one Premier League objective final season.
Non-strikers, together with midfielder Steve Sidwell and defender Khalid Boulahrouz, additionally wore the shirt, though some supporters would argue Tammy Abraham carried out nicely because the quantity 9 earlier than his transfer to Roma.
Requested in regards to the curse after scoring towards Fulham, whereas starring alongside each Cole Palmer and club-record £117m signing Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro advised the Mirror: "I don't imagine in that. I don't suppose numbers can resolve this strain."
Final season, the 24-year-old matched his shirt quantity by scoring 20 objectives in all competitions, turning into the primary Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to achieve that mark 9 years earlier.
It has left the Blues delighted with the £55m deal, plus as much as £5m in add-ons, they agreed with Brighton to signal the ahead final summer time. These near Joao Pedro additionally imagine his current recognition is justified.
As well as, his close-knit entourage haven’t any issues about his capacity to deal with the strain of being Chelsea's main man, having shared in his exceptional rise to the highest.
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Constructing resilience & bodily energy after struggles
"If I gave him one factor, it’s to struggle for what you need on a regular basis," his mom Flavia Junqueira defined to BBC Sport.
Taking a look at Joao Pedro's story, that’s precisely what he has needed to do.
His mom, alongside together with his grandmother, have largely introduced him up.
Studies from Joao Pedro's early childhood present his father, former Botafogo footballer Jose Joao de Jesus – extra generally often called Chicao – spent round eight years in jail after being charged as an adjunct to homicide and was not often round.
Junqueira later separated from him and centered on her son's footballing potential.
"Joao had a dream," she stated. "I shared that dream with my son. The dream didn't have a worth."
Rising up in Ribeirao Preto, a nine-hour drive inland from Rio de Janeiro, Joao Pedro was finally scouted by one of many metropolis's golf equipment Fluminense, together with a number of different main Brazilian golf equipment.
Fluminense have been thought to be the best choice for the teen's growth, who, like his father, started as a defensive midfielder earlier than progressing additional ahead.
That selection was, nonetheless, fraught with issue.
Junqueira left her job, family and friends for Rio, and Joao Pedro "cried quite a bit" in the course of the journey and within the weeks that adopted due to homesickness.
Even within the academy, he was advised he "wasn't sturdy sufficient" and wouldn’t make it. Once more, it made him cry.
However his mom, regardless of her more and more restricted means after leaving her job, employed a private coach for her son.
At first, he ate nicely and educated nicely solely as a result of she advised him to. Finally, nonetheless, the penny dropped.
"He was very skinny and there was a big bodily disparity between him and the opposite athletes in his age group," his long-time private coach Rodrigo Goncalves advised BBC Sport.
"He by no means stopped coaching. Generally he went a bit reluctantly, pushed by his mom, however he went.
"Through the years, nonetheless, that modified. He started to mature and perceive that coaching wasn't simply one thing his mom required, however fairly a software to enhance his efficiency, develop his physique and construct the bodily stability wanted for soccer."
Joao Pedro turned one of many stars of Fluminense's academy and was noticed by Watford's South America scout Rafa Monfort. A telephone name from now-Tottenham striker Richarlison, who had made the identical transfer, additionally proved essential.
As a baby, Joao Pedro was hooked on Premier League soccer, so the concept of shifting to Watford appealed to him. Nevertheless, it took round eight months to fulfill the Governing Physique Endorsement standards and safe a UK work allow.
Junqueira believes an overhead kick scored by Joao Pedro, then 17, towards Cruzeiro in Might 2019 helped persuade decision-makers he was an distinctive expertise worthy of the transfer.
When the household arrived in December 2019, Junqueira had not anticipated her financial institution playing cards wouldn’t work in England. Nevertheless, then-Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, additionally Brazilian, took them underneath his wing and even purchased them Christmas dinner.
A number of months later, Covid and lockdown arrived, however Joao Pedro used the unprecedented interval to concentrate on bodily coaching with Goncalves once more. He reworked his physique by gaining round eight kilograms of physique mass and have become Premier League-ready.
After that interval, he was now not the little boy who cried, however a fully-fledged top-flight star able to taking every step and problem in his stride.
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'When he's offended, he doesn't shout, however goes quiet'
After a deal was agreed with Brighton final summer time, Joao Pedro left a coaching camp in Rio de Janeiro underneath the steering of Goncalves to affix the Chelsea squad in Miami and instantly participate within the Fifa Membership World Cup.
Remarkably, he scored twice within the semi-final towards former membership Fluminense – simply days after arriving on the membership. He was additionally heading in the right direction in a sensational 3-0 win over Paris St-Germain within the last, extensively thought to be Chelsea's finest second underneath their present American possession.
The Blues endured a dismal marketing campaign following that triumph, ending tenth within the Premier League and ending the season with no trophy and failing to qualify for Europe.
Regardless of that, Joao Pedro gained Chelsea's participant of the season award and is amongst a bunch of senior gamers satisfied the mission can succeed underneath Alonso.
Like midfielder Moises Caicedo and captain Reece James, he signed a brand new contract, whereas Palmer has additionally outlined his dedication to remain amid hyperlinks with Manchester United.
All 4 are seen as key culture-setters on the membership.
Joao Pedro, particularly, impressed employees by giving extra interviews than another participant throughout a season during which there have been few positives to debate.
A number of sources have beforehand advised BBC Sport Chelsea have a dressing-room tradition drawback, particularly with cliques forming alongside language strains.
Joao Pedro and Palmer, who depend one another amongst their closest pals, are seen as two of the gamers able to naturally bridging these divides.
It helps that Joao Pedro has his household within the UK and has embraced features of native tradition, having first developed an curiosity via his love of the Premier League. He’s recognized to hearken to entice music, a UK type of hip-hop, and each he and Palmer appeared in pop icon Madonna's promotional quick movie Confessions II in June.
One in all Alonso's fundamental goals is to rebuild a wayward tradition which some sources have described to BBC Sport as overly "transactional" and "chilly".
After his entrance three, together with debutant Rogers, scored towards Fulham, Alonso stated: "They should take duty. They should lead the remaining. They should encourage the remaining as a result of in the event that they do nice, the others will comply with."
Few understand how Joao Pedro dealt with his omission from the Brazil squad on the World Cup, the place they have been knocked out within the final 16 by Norway this summer time.
Even these closest to him have no idea how dissatisfied he was to overlook out, provided that enjoying for Brazil at a World Cup had lengthy been considered one of his greatest desires.
"When Joao Pedro is offended, he doesn't shout, he goes quiet," Junqueira stated of his common character.
After Chelsea's struggles season and the dearth of World Cup involvement, he had two weeks utterly off.
Joao Pedro spent the remainder of his summer time in Rio coaching with Goncalves, his private health coach since childhood, surrounded by pals and following lots of the similar routines he at all times has.
In the end, in keeping with Goncalves, the frontman stays the identical particular person, however one intent on turning into a very "elite".
Since returning to Chelsea in the summertime, he has scored eight objectives in seven pre-season matches earlier than discovering the online 31 seconds into the brand new marketing campaign at Fulham.
It now seems Joao Pedro will be the one able to lastly ending speak and concern of the membership's quantity 9 curse.
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