Chelsea: Pedro’s journey before and in west London

As Chelsea says goodbye to veteran winger Pedro, its time for Blues fans to appreciate the underrated soldier that played a massive role in recent success.

Pedro will sign for Italian giant AS Roma in the coming days after leaving Chelsea earlier this month. Therefore, it’s important to take a look back at what was a remarkable and under-appreciated career with the Blues.

Looking back to the beginning, Chelsea’s signing of Pedro was somewhat unexpected. He was strongly linked with Manchester United after it was confirmed he would leave Barcelona ahead of the 2015-16 season. Hence, it was a surprising move by the Blues to sign him just before the transfer window closed. The Spaniard left Barcelona following a goal which ended up being the later winner in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup final after he came on as a substitute. The arrival of Neymar meant he had to settle for a place on the bench for them as a result of the Brazilian’s impact, cost, and market value. In other words, Pedro had no chance of reclaiming his spot in the starting XI.

Even though his inaugural season was a disappointment as a whole for the Blues, Pedro managed to score eight goals in the campaign. The next season under Antonio Conte was his best in a Chelsea shirt as he tallied 13 goals and 12 assists. It was not just his contributions in attack though; he is massively underrated for his tracking back and supporting the defense, as well.

The opening goals scored at Stamford Bridge against Manchester United, Spurs and Bournemouth were significant as Chelsea overtook the lead in the league table large in part due to his contributions. His opener against Everton away was yet another crucial Pedro goal that took the Blues one stepper closer to the title. When it was all said and done, the Spaniard’s goals against Spurs and Everton eventually won him the goal of the month award.

Above goals, his commitment and effort to the team are what made him a valuable asset to the club. Despite winning every title that is available at the club and national level, he was a proper team player at Chelsea. Under both Maurizio Sarri and Conte, he had to earn his spot in the team like he did all those years with Spain and Barcelona. Unfortunately, Lampard was not keen to entrust him—untimely injuries didn’t help either.

Unlike some players who have passed through in recent years, Pedro didn’t try to make any noise in the press or social media when he was dropped by the manager. He was the most decorated player in the Premier League during his time, still, his code of conduct was absolutely wonderful. His professionalism speaks volumes to the player and man he truly is.

Pedro remains a faithful soldier that any manager would dream to have in their ranks. At 33, there are not many years left for him at the top level, but as seen from his illustrious career, he will continue to be the model player for his team as long as he can.