Illustrator Gabriel Foligno Photographer Charlotte Wilson - Offside Images courtesy of Sofascore.com, Infogol.net, Watfordfc.com, Sky Sports.
Player Analysis: João Pedro
João Pedro has never had it particularly easy. In 2002, his father, an accomplished player in Brazil, was sentenced to 16 years in prison, leaving his mother to raise him on her own. She managed to save enough money to send her son to…
João Pedro has never had it particularly easy. In 2002, his father, an accomplished player in Brazil, was sentenced to 16 years in prison, leaving his mother to raise him on her own. She managed to save enough money to send her son to private school, making sacrifices in order to give him the best chance at life possible. This upheaval didn’t stop the young João from following in his family’s sporting footsteps. Initially playing as a defensive midfielder like his Dad, he caught the eye of Brazil’s top clubs, signing for Fluminese at 14.
Having struggled to find consistency early on, fate would strike, as the team’s striker was moved to the U20 squad, leading the coach to trial João Pedro as a central striker. This, it seems, was a masterstroke, as João bagged an astonishing 38 goals in a single season at youth level.
By the age of 17, he was already being tracked by some of Europe’s top clubs. After making his breakthrough into the first team at Fluminense, Premier League Watford took the plunge. Spending just £3.6m in January 2020, Pedro was something of a low-risk gamble. Since then he’s experienced relegation, finding himself in the EFL Championship within 6 months of arriving.
Credits
Words
Oliver Haines
