Dimitar Berbatov says Chelsea have a player who even he was ‘so excited’ to watch

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Former Premier League star Dimitar Berbatov admitted he was excited to watch one Chelsea player before the Club World Cup semi-finals.

Chelsea secured a 2-0 win against Fluminense in the semis to book their spot in the Club World Cup final, where they’ll face a formidable Paris Saint-Germain side.

Joao Pedro, 23, stole the show on his first-ever Blues start, scoring two magical goals against Fluminense. It’s quite remarkable that he’s hit the ground running so quickly after only joining from Brighton at the start of July.

Pedro’s goals meant Chelsea banked £22m for winning the semi-final, so he’s already started to pay back his £60m transfer fee.

• READ MORE: Jody Morris says Joao Pedro did something that went completely under the radar for Chelsea vs Fluminense

Dimitar Berbatov excited to watch Joao Pedro

Even Dimitar Berbatov, who was one of the most eye-catching footballers of his generation, shared his excitement about watching Chelsea’s Pedro at the Club World Cup. He certainly lived up to the hype with his two-goal masterclass in the semi-finals.

Berbatov told DAZN: “When you’re a good player, you don’t need much time to adapt. He’s familiar with the Premier League and with Chelsea, and he showed why I was so excited to see him play from the first minute.

“They were great goals – the first one was pure class and the second was even more dramatic.

“So for me, he was obviously player of the match because of the goals and his performance will give him even more confidence going forward.”

While it’s been a dream start for Pedro in Chelsea colours, he will now need to deal with the extra expectation on his shoulders moving forward. It will start this weekend with the showdown against PSG in the final.

Gareth Bale raved about Pedro after his dominant performance against Fluminense. Can he now back that up a few days later when a trophy is on the line?

The Brazilian forward passes the eye test with flying colours with a superb all-round game, but it’s consistent end product that will elevate him to another level.

Why Chelsea wanted to sign Joao Pedro

Reports explained that Chelsea were drawn to signing Pedro for three main reasons this summer. For starters, they believe the Brazil international has huge potential. Also, they appreciate he already knows the Premier League and can also cover multiple positions.

The South American attacker arrives in West London with experience playing for Fluminense, Watford and Brighton. He’s now taking a significant step up in his career, though.

Pedro dreams of starting for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, and success at Chelsea will surely make that a lot more realistic.