Joao Pedro has been the shining light in Chelsea’s season so far, yet Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t seem to be paying attention to it.
Chelsea signed Joao Pedro for around £60 million, which may have been a huge fee at the time, but he’s beginning to more than show his worth.
The fact that Pedro has been playing with a minor injury and delivering performances as he has is astonishing.
He held off arguably the best central defender in world football, William Saliba, during the defeat to Arsenal and got the better of him on numerous occasions.
So it comes as no surprise to see that Chelsea feel as if they’ve got a bargain in Pedro.
If only Carlo Ancelotti was aware of his qualities.
Out of Andrey Santos, Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian, who deserves a World Cup place the most?🤔
Carlo Ancelotti thinks it's Estevao…
Joao Pedro, Andrey Santos and Estevao Willian's World Cup chances
Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images
Joao Pedro is not a guarantee for Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad
According to ESPN Brasil, Carlo Ancelotti has picked 11 players who are a guarantee for his 2026 World Cup squad unless they get injured, and Pedro isn’t one of them.
Estevao Willian is one of those guaranteed, and rightly so.
Alisson, Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes, Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes, Vinicius Jr., Raphinha, Rodrigo, Matheus Cunha and Gabriel Martinelli are the other 10.
It’s stated that there are vacancies open in the attack. With Richarlison increasingly out of contention, three names emerge to compete with Matheus Cunha for the number 9 shirt: Gabriel Jesus, Endrick and João Pedro. Luiz Henrique, from Zenit, is also fighting for a place ahead.
Admit it, you miss Nicolas Jackson 😢
Liam Delap has been a huge disappointment!
Liam Delap's and Nicolas Jackson's stats
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images/Kevin Voigt
Joao Pedro won’t be happy deep down with the reported decision
The fact that Gabriel Martinelli is a guaranteed pick for the 2026 World Cup is a joke.
Deep down, Joao Pedro will be wondering what more he can do when you see Martinelli, who has five fewer goal contributions than the Chelsea man, getting a guaranteed spot.
Yes, they play in different positions, but Pedro has also shown he can play out wide and in creative areas.
It’s still likely that Pedro will go to the World Cup squad, but he’s doing all he can to force his way into Ancelotti’s plans, having scored five goals in his last five games in all competitions.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox