Joao Pedro claims Chelsea teammate should have won the Player of the Match vs Fluminense if it wasn’t him

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Even though Joao Pedro was the star of the show during Chelsea’s win against Fluminense, he’s heaped huge praise on his teammate for his performance.

Chelsea produced a dominant display to beat Brazilian club Fluminense 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup.

Joao Pedro, 23, scored two epic goals on his first-ever start for the Blues. As a result, the forward picked up the Player of the Match prize.

Fluminense captain Thiago Silva described Chelsea’s Pedro as “special” after his memorable display on Tuesday night in a semi-final showdown. Can the summer signing now guide his new team to the trophy against either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid in the final?

• READ MORE: Joao Pedro already pays off huge part of his transfer fee as Chelsea’s Club World Cup prize money revealed

Joao Pedro shines a light on Enzo Fernandez

After being awarded the Player of the Match prize, Pedro did give a special mention to Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 24, for his display against Fluminense.

Pedro told FIFA: “I’m very happy to score two goals and I think it’s very important for me to win this [Player of the Match] trophy. If it wasn’t me, I think it should have been Enzo [Fernandez]. But today it’s mine!

“I’ve been preparing myself for years and years for this moment. To score two goals in the semi-final of the Club World Cup, to win the Player of the Match, it couldn’t have been any better. I’m really happy.”

Without a doubt, Fernandez deserves his flowers after another dominant performance at the Club World Cup tournament. This included a clever assist for Pedro’s second goal with a through ball with the outside of his boot.

The Argentine central midfielder continues to go from strength to strength, offering so much in both the offensive and defensive phase of the game.

Chelsea believe Fernandez is part of their elite midfield, and they have no intention to let him leave, so it’s great news that he’s under contract at the club until 2032.

It’s quite evident that he’s a fundamental part of the current side, wearing the captain’s armband whenever Reece James isn’t on the pitch. He’s putting in stellar performances to match his leadership, too.

Enzo Fernandez’s extraordinary numbers in the 2024/25 season

We doubt rival fans realise just how influential Fernandez has been in Chelsea colours across the last year.

In the 2024/25 campaign, which includes this Club World Cup, Fernandez has contributed with some superb attacking numbers.

Blues head coach Enzo Maresca highlighted Fernandez’s major improvement this season during a recent interview. At the moment, we would mark the Argentine midfielder as one of the first names on the team sheet because he’s bringing so much to the side.

It’s very impressive that Fernandez’s tally is 26 goals and assists combined in a single season. He’s still got one game left with the Club World Cup final, too!