Following Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Fluminense, Thiago Silva has described Joao Pedro as a ‘special’ player after his two goals sealed Chelsea to reach the Club World Cup final.
However, Chelsea completed their £60 million deal to sign Pedro from Brighton last week and the 23-year-old came off the bench to make his debut in the 2-0 quarter-final win against Palmeiras last Friday.
Pedro doubled Chelsea’s lead after half time with a crashing finish and was crowned ‘Superior Player of the Match’ for his performance at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
When asked about Pedro’s performance against Fluminense, Silva told Globo: ‘This kid is special, I have a lot of affection for him.
‘A while ago, I recommended him to the people who take care of my physical health. He works with my physiotherapist in Europe, who also takes care of my children.
‘I faced him a few times at Chelsea, when he was still at Watford, and he had two great games against us. I said, ‘Man, this kid is special’.
‘I didn’t expect him to be inspired today, he hit some great shots. One of our kids knocked us out of such an important competition, but good luck to him.’
Chelsea will now play either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final this Sunday.