Chelsea striker Joao Pedro says the Brazilian national team currently have stars of the same caliber as the generation that won the World Cup in 2002.
Brazilian striker Joao Pedro has expressed confidence in the current generation of Brazilian talent, highlighting the presence of several stars at top European clubs, while acknowledging the growing pressure on the national team to end its long wait for World Cup glory.
The Seleção has not won the World Cup since 2002, when a squad featuring players of the caliber of Golden Boot winner Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo — who was the tournament’s second-leading scorer — defeated Germany in the final. But the current team, Pedro insists, has stars of a similar caliber.
“Back in the day, we had Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Romario, but if you look at football today, Brazil has players like that,” Pedro told ESPN. “There’s Vini at Real Madrid, Raphinha at Barcelona, Estevao and me at Chelsea, and also Andrey.
They all play for top-level clubs. What bothers me is that Brazil hasn’t won a World Cup in a long time. We are the best national team in the world, and when you go a long time without winning, pressure builds.”
While players like Vinicius and Raphinha have excelled in La Liga, they have often struggled to translate that devastating club form to the international stage. Vinicius has scored only eight goals in 46 matches for his country, while Raphinha has found the net 11 times in 36 appearances. Pedro suggests that the lack of time to train together regularly is the main reason for this disconnect.
“We are getting to know each other better,” the Chelsea striker explained. “I play in England, Vini plays in Spain, and Raphinha is at another club. We need to train together the same way we do at our clubs, where we spend the whole year.
With the national team, things are done differently than they are at the club, so you have to adapt quickly. With more training time, things start to work better. Things will start to click very soon.”
The Seleção has been forced to navigate a difficult period without its all-time leading goalscorer, Neymar, who has been away from the national team since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in October 2023.
Although the veteran has returned to action with Santos, he has yet to prove his fitness to Ancelotti, leaving the younger generation to shoulder the weight of expectations. The lack of finishing has led to criticism of the starting attacking quartet of Raphinha, Gabriel Martinelli, Vinicius, and Matheus Cunha.
The pressure is compounded by the fact that Brazil has been approaching a 24-year drought since its last World Cup triumph in 2002. As the five-time world champions prepare for the upcoming tournament, the demand that their famous “Joga Bonito” style be accompanied by emphatic results has reached a peak. Pedro maintains that the quality is there, but the external factors of international football require a faster adjustment period for the stars to truly shine.
Opportunities for the Chelsea player to prove his worth will increase following news that Raphinha will be sidelined for five weeks with a hamstring injury. Pedro, who has put together a highly productive season at Stamford Bridge with 14 goals and eight assists in 31 league matches, is expected to lead the attack in Tuesday’s friendly against Croatia in Orlando. The match will serve as a crucial dress rehearsal before the real action begins this summer.
Brazil is scheduled to debut in the World Cup against Morocco on June 13. With the weight of an entire nation on their shoulders, the current generation knows that comparisons to Ronaldo and Ronaldinho will only be validated with titles.
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