Joao Pedro: The Next Benzema or Haaland?
Xabi Alonso did not bother with half-measures. Asked if Joao Pedro belongs in the same bracket as Erling Haaland, the Chelsea manager went straight to the top shelf – and then pulled out Karim Benzema as the comparison.
“I would say yes,” Alonso replied when pressed on whether the Brazilian can be put alongside Manchester City’s goal machine. “If you count how many top strikers we have in the Premier League, I'm sure that Joao is there, Haaland for sure is there. So I would rate him that way.”
That is not casual praise. It is a statement of intent about the player Chelsea are building their attack around.
A number nine with Benzema’s fingerprints
Joao Pedro, 24, has opened this season in full stride: two goals and two assists in his first three league games, a blur of movement, touch and timing that earned him the Premier League’s Player of the Month award on Friday. It is the first time he has claimed the prize, edging out team-mate Cole Palmer, who took the honour back in September 2024.
The recognition arrives just weeks after he tied his future to Stamford Bridge until 2034 and took on the club’s most scrutinised shirt – the number nine. At Chelsea, that number carries weight. Since Diego Costa, no striker had managed to bend it back into something fearsome.
Joao Pedro did it in his debut campaign. He became the first Chelsea forward since Costa to hit 20 goals in a single season, and his overall return since arriving last summer now stands at 25 goals and 11 assists in 57 matches. Those are not just promising numbers; they are the foundation of a new era.
Alonso sees more than raw output. He sees echoes of a player he knows better than almost anyone.
“In many things he reminds me of Benzema,” said the Spaniard, who shared a dressing room with the former Ballon d’Or winner 195 times at Real Madrid. “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.
“So yes, he is still young, still things to develop, but many, many absolutely outstanding qualities that he has.”
When Alonso says “Benzema”, he is not reaching for a lazy comparison. The Frenchman, now 38 and a free agent, has piled up 523 goals in 994 appearances for France, Lyon, Real Madrid and Saudi Arabian sides Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal. To even mention Joao Pedro in that breath is to set a demanding standard.
Haaland the specialist, Joao Pedro the all-rounder
The numbers game will always drag Joao Pedro back towards Haaland. Over their last 57 club appearances, the contrast is stark and revealing: Haaland has 42 goals and nine assists for City; Joao Pedro has 25 goals and 11 assists for Chelsea.
The Norwegian is a pure finisher, a penalty-box tyrant whose job description fits on one line. Joao Pedro’s canvas is wider. Across his career he has operated as a midfielder, a number 10 and a winger, and that variety shows in his game. He drops off, links play, drifts into half-spaces, attacks crosses, presses from the front. He scores, but he also knits.
That blend is exactly what reminds Alonso of Benzema – a forward who can be the reference point and the creator in the same move.
From World Cup pain to a clear target
For all the acclaim in England, Joao Pedro’s international story has been far more complicated. He was a surprise omission from Brazil’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, a decision made by Carlo Ancelotti, the man who once coached Alonso at Real Madrid.
The snub hurt. Alonso did not pretend otherwise.
“It was painful for him, but that is in the past,” he said. “We are now focused on what he is doing well and what he can do better.”
The reaction has been emphatic. Joao Pedro has since been recalled for Brazil’s September fixtures against New Zealand and India, and his club manager insists the forward never lacked drive.
“He had enough motivation. He already had enough within him, so I didn't need to go there,” Alonso explained. “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. Alonso has handed him the comparison: Benzema’s brain, Haaland’s company on the Premier League’s top tier.
The rest of the season will decide whether Joao Pedro simply brushes those heights, or starts to live there.
