Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has drawn comparisons between his striker Joao Pedro and two of football's most celebrated forwards: Karim Benzema and Erling Haaland.
Alonso, who played alongside Benzema at Real Madrid, noted that Joao Pedro possesses a similar all-around game to the former Ballon d'Or winner. "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 stated.
While acknowledging that Joao Pedro is still young and has areas for development, Alonso highlighted the striker's "absolutely outstanding" qualities. He differentiated Joao Pedro from Haaland, describing the Manchester City striker as a specialist goalscorer, whereas Joao Pedro brings a more varied skillset to the field, having also played as a midfielder, number 10, and winger throughout his career.
Alonso also addressed Joao Pedro's recent omission from Brazil's World Cup squad, suggesting it was a painful experience for the player but that he has since channeled that into his current form. "He had enough motivation. He already had enough within him, so I didn't need to go there," Alonso said. "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."
Joao Pedro was unexpectedly left out of Brazil's squad for the World Cup earlier in the year but has since been recalled for international fixtures in September against New Zealand and India. Benzema, who is now 38 and a free agent, has scored 523 goals in 994 appearances for clubs including Real Madrid and for France.