Xabi Alonso: Chelsea's Joao Pedro is at Erling Haaland's level and reminds me of Karim Benzema
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has said Joao Pedro is at a comparable level to Erling Haaland and reminds him of Karim Benzema. The Brazil forward, 24, scored twice and assisted twice in his first three games of the season and was named Premier League Player of the Month on Friday.
- Player: Joao Pedro, 24, Chelsea striker and Brazil international
- Award: Premier League Player of the Month for the first time, beating team-mate Cole Palmer
- Form: Two goals and two assists in his first three games of the season
- Contract: Signed a new Chelsea deal last month to stay until 2034
- Comparison: Alonso says yes to the Haaland question and likens him to Benzema
- International: Recalled by Brazil for September fixtures against New Zealand and India
What was said
"I would say yes. If you count how many top strikers we have in the Premier League, I'm sure that Joao [Pedro] is there, Haaland for sure is there. So I would rate him that way."
"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. So yes, he is still young, still things to develop, but many, many absolutely outstanding qualities that he has."
"He had enough motivation. 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. 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."
Alonso's comparison is not casual praise. He made 195 appearances alongside Benzema at Real Madrid, so he knows exactly what the Frenchman offered: link play, movement across the front line and a knack for arriving in the right place. Calling Joao Pedro "very complete" and "intelligent" points to the same profile.
Yet the Haaland answer is the line that will travel. Alonso was asked directly whether the comparison could be made and answered "I would say yes" before placing both in the same bracket of top Premier League strikers. Given Haaland won last season's Golden Boot with 27 goals, that is a significant claim about a player who has not yet completed a full campaign at the very top.
The numbers
- Joao Pedro: 25 goals and 11 assists in 57 matches since joining Chelsea last summer
- Joao Pedro: two goals and two assists in his first three games of this season
- Erling Haaland: 42 goals and nine assists in his last 57 matches for Manchester City
- Haaland: 27 Premier League goals last season, winning the Golden Boot
- Benzema: 523 goals in 994 appearances for France, Lyon, Real Madrid, Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal
- Joao Pedro became Chelsea's first striker since Diego Costa to score 20 goals in a single season during his debut campaign
- Alonso made 195 appearances alongside Benzema at Real Madrid
Why Alonso is willing to put Joao Pedro in Haaland's bracket
Joao Pedro is not a specialist goalscorer in the Haaland mould. Unlike the Norway international, he has played as a midfielder, a number 10 and a winger during his career, which is precisely why Alonso reached for the Benzema comparison. The value is in the versatility: dropping into midfield, drifting left, attacking crosses with his head and still arriving in the box.
That rounded skillset matters to how Chelsea are built. A striker who can operate out of the box opens space for runners from deep, and Joao Pedro's 11 assists in 57 matches underline that he is a creator as much as a finisher. Alonso's side do not need him to be Haaland; they need him to be the hub that makes the rest function.
The raw numbers still favour Haaland by a distance across comparable minutes, and that is the fair counter-argument. But Joao Pedro's 20-goal debut season, his new contract to 2034 and the number nine shirt handed to him at the start of this season all show a club building around him. Alonso is not comparing statistics; he is describing a role.
Talking points
- Is Alonso right to put Joao Pedro in Haaland's bracket, or does one Player of the Month award and three good games flatter him?
- The Benzema comparison is the more interesting one. Does it undersell Joao Pedro as a goalscorer or overstate his all-round game?
- Should missing Brazil's World Cup squad be treated as a motivator, or did Alonso dodge the question by saying he "didn't need to go there"?
- Chelsea handed him the number nine shirt and a contract to 2034. Is that smart long-term planning or pressure he does not need?
What happens next
Joao Pedro now joins up with Brazil for September's international fixtures against New Zealand and India, his reward for a recall after this summer's World Cup omission. When he returns, the challenge is to turn a three-game hot streak into the kind of season that makes Alonso's Haaland comparison stand up, with Chelsea's Player of the Month already looking like the club's central attacking figure.
Frequently asked questions
Is Joao Pedro as good as Erling Haaland?
Xabi Alonso said "I would say yes" when asked whether Joao Pedro could be compared to Haaland, adding that both are among the top strikers in the Premier League and that he rates Joao Pedro that way.
Who did Joao Pedro beat to win Premier League Player of the Month?
It was the first time Joao Pedro has won the award, and he finished ahead of Chelsea team-mate Cole Palmer, who was the club's previous recipient in September 2024.
Why did Joao Pedro miss Brazil's World Cup squad?
He was a surprise omission from Brazil's squad for the World Cup this summer, but has since been recalled for September's international fixtures against New Zealand and India.
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