Chelsea Honors João Pedro with Immediate Award After Ancelotti Shock

Chelsea announced on Tuesday that João Pedro, their Brazilian forward, has been named the club’s Best Player for the 2025-2026 season. This recognition comes shortly after the player faced disappointment from being excluded from Brazil’s World Cup roster on Monday.

Pedro secured the award decisively, capturing more than 60% of the votes. He outpaced teammates Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo, who finished second and third respectively in the voting.

At 24 years old, Pedro scored 20 goals and provided 9 assists across 49 matches in all competitions during his inaugural season with Chelsea. This achievement places him among an elite group, becoming only the eleventh player in the club’s history to reach such a goal tally in their first Premier League era season.

Unexpected World Cup Omission

Despite his impressive statistics, Brazil’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti did not include Pedro in the national team’s World Cup lineup. This decision surprised many, especially the player himself, who is regarded as Brazil’s top number 9 forward at present.

Pedro found himself ranked behind Gabriel Martinelli, Igor Thiago, Endrick, and Ryan in Ancelotti’s selection preferences, despite outperforming them statistically.

Nevertheless, Pedro remains a potential candidate to join the squad if any selected player withdraws.