Joao Pedro has three goals and three assists in his first four Premier League games for Chelsea this season.
Xabi Alonso compared the £60million signing to Real Madrid great Karim Benzema earlier this month.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says he agrees, telling Goal.com he sees the same qualities in Pedro.
Key details: Hasselbaink endorses Alonso’s Joao Pedro assessment
Three goals and three assists in four Premier League games have been enough to convince Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink that Xabi Alonso is onto something with his Joao Pedro Karim Benzema comparison. The former Chelsea striker says he can see the same technical range and calm finishing that Alonso pointed to earlier this month.
Speaking to Goal.com, as reported by Football London, Hasselbaink said: “I can understand that. I see similarities. They’re both really technical, really, really intelligent. They both can come into midfield and play. And they’re both really calm in front of goal. So I can see similarities. Joao Pedro is not there yet, but I can see similarities.”
It is a significant endorsement. Hasselbaink knows exactly what a top Chelsea forward looks like, and he is not the type to hand out comparisons to a Ballon d’Or winner lightly.
Joao Pedro: how it happened
Chelsea paid Brighton £60million for Pedro in the summer of 2024, a fee that raised eyebrows given his modest Premier League scoring record on the south coast. That scepticism has faded fast this season, with three goals and three assists from his opening four league outings.
Alonso made the Benzema comparison unprompted earlier this month. Speaking to reporters, he said: “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 added: “He is very complete, he is intelligent.”
That run was interrupted when Pedro withdrew from the Brazil squad with a knee injury, a decision we covered in our report on his Brazil squad withdrawal. The same injury forced his absence against Brentford, a game Chelsea lost 3-0.
The expert angle: Hasselbaink sees Benzema traits in £60m striker
The Joao Pedro Karim Benzema comparison rests on specific, repeatable traits rather than reputation. Both Alonso and Hasselbaink point to technical quality on the ball, footballing intelligence, a willingness to drop deep and link play, and composure in front of goal.
Alonso listed Pedro’s range in detail, describing him as “good in the box” and “good out of the box”, strong on his left side and dangerous in the air. Hasselbaink’s version is shorter but points the same way, saying both players “can come into midfield and play” and are “really calm in front of goal”.
It is a big name to be measured against. Benzema won the Ballon d’Or in 2022 after a decorated career at Real Madrid, and any Chelsea forward mentioned in the same breath belongs in the conversation with the club’s greatest Premier League strikers. Hasselbaink was careful to add the caveat that matters, noting Pedro “is not there yet”.
What happens next
Chelsea have not given a timescale for Pedro’s return from the knee injury that cost him the Brentford match. Alonso will assess him alongside the rest of his forward options before the next round of fixtures.
For now, the Benzema comparisons remain aspirational rather than settled. Pedro has given Chelsea four league games of evidence that he could grow into them, and his manager and a former club striker are both convinced enough to say so publicly.
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