Chelsea: Joao Pedro shirt number confirmed ahead of potential Club World Cup debut

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·3 juillet 2025

Chelsea: Joao Pedro shirt number confirmed ahead of potential Club World Cup debut

Brazilian follows in the footsteps of a current Chelsea favourite

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Joao Pedro will have some big shoes to fill upon learning of his Chelsea shirt number.

Pedro’s transfer, said to be in the region of £60m, from fellow Premier League side Brighton was completed on Wednesday and the Brazilian has been signed in time to feature in the Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras.

Bolstering a Chelsea attack that already includes fellow summer signing Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku, the forward has already trained with his new teammates in America.

Now, Pedro has been handed the no.20 shirt at Stamford Bridge. This squad number had only been vacant for a short space of time with Cole Palmer upgrading to no.10 before the Club World Cup.

Whilst wearing no.20 Palmer scored 40 goals and chipped in with 29 assists in 94 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions.

Previous holders of the no.20 shirt at Chelsea include Glenn Hoddle, Jody Morris, Paulo Ferreira, Deco, Alex, Victor Moses and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Speaking about his move to Chelsea, Pedro highlighted his desire to win silverware.

“When you join Chelsea, you can only think one thing: to win trophies,” he said. “In every competition, you have to think "I play for Chelsea and this is my ambition".

“I have to be more ready because if we lose a game, it’s done, we are out of the tournament.

“So, I need to prepare myself in the days I have got and be ready to help the team.”

Pedro could make his Chelsea debut as early as this weekend when the Blues face Palmeiras in Philadelphia. Victory over the Brazilian side will set up a semi-final showdown against either Fluminense or Al-Hilal next Tuesday.