Sports
Joao Pedro: Is Brazilian ready to break Chelsea’s so-called number nine curse?
“If I gave him one thing, it is to fight for what you want all the time,” his mother Flavia Junqueira explained to BBC Sport.
Looking at Joao Pedro’s story, that is exactly what he has had to do.
His mother, along with his grandmother, have largely brought him up.
Reports from Joao Pedro’s early childhood show his father, former Botafogo footballer Jose Joao de Jesus – more commonly known as Chicao – spent around eight years in prison after being charged as an accessory to murder and was rarely around.
Junqueira later separated from him and focused on her son’s footballing potential.
“Joao had a dream,” she said. “I shared that dream with my son. The dream didn’t have a price.”
Growing up in Ribeirao Preto, a nine-hour drive inland from Rio de Janeiro, Joao Pedro was eventually scouted by one of the city’s clubs Fluminense, along with a host of other leading Brazilian clubs.
Fluminense were regarded as the best option for the youngster’s development, who, like his father, began as a defensive midfielder before progressing further forward.
That choice was, however, fraught with difficulty.
Junqueira left her job, friends and family for Rio, and Joao Pedro “cried a lot” during the journey and in the weeks that followed because of homesickness.
Even in the academy, he was told he “wasn’t strong enough” and would not make it. Again, it made him cry.
But his mother, despite her increasingly limited means after leaving her job, hired a personal trainer for her son.
At first, he ate well and trained well only because she told him to. Eventually, however, the penny dropped.
“He was very skinny and there was a significant physical disparity between him and the other athletes in his age group,” his long-time personal trainer Rodrigo Goncalves told BBC Sport.
“He never stopped training. Sometimes he went a bit reluctantly, pushed by his mother, but he went.
“Over the years, however, that changed. He began to mature and understand that training wasn’t just something his mother required, but rather a tool to improve his performance, develop his body and build the physical balance needed for football.”
Joao Pedro became one of the stars of Fluminense’s academy and was spotted by Watford’s South America scout Rafa Monfort. A phone call from now-Tottenham striker Richarlison, who had made the same move, also proved crucial.
As a child, Joao Pedro was hooked on Premier League football, so the idea of moving to Watford appealed to him. However, it took around eight months to meet the Governing Body Endorsement criteria and secure a UK work permit.
Junqueira believes an overhead kick scored by Joao Pedro, then 17, against Cruzeiro in May 2019 helped convince decision-makers he was an exceptional talent worthy of the move.
When the family arrived in December 2019, Junqueira had not anticipated her bank cards would not work in England. However, then-Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, also Brazilian, took them under his wing and even bought them Christmas dinner.
A few months later, Covid and lockdown arrived, but Joao Pedro used the unprecedented period to focus on physical training with Goncalves again. He transformed his body by gaining around eight kilograms of body mass and became Premier League-ready.
After that period, he was no longer the little boy who cried, but a fully-fledged top-flight star capable of taking each step and challenge in his stride.
>
Sports
Raheem Sterling charged with dangerous driving after crash on M3 in Hampshire
Raheem Sterling will appear in court next month to face charges of dangerous driving and possessing nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation after crashing his car into motorway barriers in May.
The former England winger, who most recently played for Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie, crashed his Lamborghini into barriers on the M3 in Hampshire on the morning of Thursday, 28 May.
The 31-year-old was arrested and then released on bail pending further enquiries.
A Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesman said: “A driver will appear in court next month to face charges following a collision on the M3.
“Raheem Sterling, 31, from Berkshire, has been charged for the following offences: dangerous driving, possession of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation, failing to provide a specimen.
“The charges come following a single vehicle collision, involving a Lamborghini, on the M3 southbound, close to the Minley Interchange [Hampshire], on 28 May, 2026.
“No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported. Mr Sterling is due to appear at Basingstoke magistrates court on 15 September.”
Police suspected Sterling of “driving a vehicle whilst unfit through drugs,” but that has not been included in the charges.
In May a source close to Sterling told BBC Sport there was “no proof” of drugs in his system.
The source added the player had faced “an extremely tough couple of years” and had been made to “feel worthless” and “forgotten about”.
Sterling has been without a club since leaving Dutch side Feyenoord at the end of last season.
He joined Feyenoord in February on a short-term contract after leaving Chelsea by mutual consent.
Chelsea paid £47.5m to sign Sterling from Manchester City in 2022, where he had won four Premier League titles, five League Cups and one FA Cup in seven years.
In 2024 the former Liverpool winger joined Arsenal on loan, but upon returning to Chelsea in 2025 was exiled from the first-team squad and made to train separately.
Sterling earned 82 England caps between 2012 and 2022, and appeared at three World Cups and two European Championships.
>
Sports
Plymouth 2 – 4 Coventry
Premier League new boys Coventry survived an EFL Cup second-round scare at League One Plymouth before easing through 4-2 at Home Park.
City had showed their class by racing into a 2-0 lead within five minutes courtesy of goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Jack Rudoni but Argyle fought back to level nine minutes into the second half thanks to debutant Danny Irow and Xavier Amaechi.
Second-half substitute Ephron Mason-Clark scored City’s third goal within five minutes of his 62nd-minute introduction before Victor Torp wrapped things up with a 78th-minute penalty.
Awoniyi fired City ahead on three minutes, picking his spot after a brilliant flick-on by Caleb Yirenkyi.
Yirenkyi’s sublime pass on the spin from skipper Liam Kitching’s through ball set striker Awoniyi on his way to goal and he had time to pick his spot to beat home goalkeeper James Storer with a side foot finish.
Within two minutes City increased their lead following a lightning break down the right. Awoniyi set Rudoni racing on his way to goal and he made no mistake, again beating Storer with a clinical finish, this time from the edge of the box.
Jake Bidwell came close to making it 3-0 on the 18th minute, heading just past the post from Joel Latibeaudiere’s pinpoint cross to the far post.
Argyle responded in the 21st minute through Irow, who cut in from the left and beat Latibeaudiere, before sending a low shot past City keeper Daniel Bentley into the far corner.
Midfielder Harvey White had sent Irow – who has just joined Plymouth on loan from Tottenham – away down the left with a superb pass from his own half after spotting the winger out wide.
The unmarked Awoniyi could have doubled his tally on 27 minutes but headed wide from six yards from Latibeaudiere’s deep cross.
Striker Will Evans’ effort flew off the foot of Bentley and on to a post in the 31st minute after the keeper had failed to hold White’s long-range effort.
Argyle restored parity on 54 minutes when half-time sub Amaechi won the ball from City defender Kitching and raced into the box before beating Bentley with a thumping low drive into the corner.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto volleyed just over from Mason-Clark’s cross in the 65th minute before the latter restored City’s lead in the 67th minute from close range, turning in Torp’s thumping cross.
Torp gave Coventry some breathing space by converting a penalty following a foul by sub Joe Edwards on Brandon Thomas-Asante, who could have increased City’s lead in stoppage time but hammered his volley over from the edge of the six-yard box.
The managers…
Plymouth’s Tom Cleverley:
“It was an entertaining cup tie. It was never in our plan to conceded two goals in the first four minutes.
“We showed a lot of resilience in pre-season, defensive records are what you can build results on so we need to be strong defensively.
“The reaction to that, losing two goals so early, was excellent. I couldn’t be happier with the players.
“I thought all four debutants were good. Oli Irow gives us something different. He wants to take players on, good pace and he’s direct.
“I thought Tyreeq Bakinson look assured and Joe Mwaro was excellent on his debut. It’s a night he will never forget against top opposition and James Storer in goal.
“Then you bring on Xavier Amaechi and he looked sharp, motivated. There were a lot of good performances out there.
“This is what you want from cup ties, I have got a healthy headache ahead of Saturday’s league game against Bradford.
“We have lost a game which I never want to do but we are in a healthier place. I thought as a team we showed more personality. We took the hand brake off.”
Coventry’s Frank Lampard:
“You have always got to enjoy a win but at this point it is also looking at performance and individual and collective performances.
“We made a lot of changes and so for me it’s good to have a look at players that we didn’t start at the weekend (Friday) and are pushing for places.
“I expected it to be difficult, it’s not an easy place to come. It was a great start to the game, two really good goals, high quality goals.
“Exactly what we want running through back lines and just showing good capacity to run and good combination stuff as well.
“Maybe we relaxed or something but we didn’t put our foot down. When you get teams in that situation you should go and put your foot properly down and we didn’t.
“In an early round in the cup it can happen. Big mistakes for the goals, we must be honest about that, and then a good reaction to win the game pretty well.
“Ephron is a big player for us so it was good to see him looking strong. He wants to get better all the time.
“But of course a win is a big deal because it’s a nice feeling to take back on the bus for four hours.”
>
Sports
Stoke 1 – 1 Hull City
Premier League new boys Hull followed up their 2-0 win over Manchester United on Saturday by knocking Stoke out of the Carabao Cup on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the bet365 Stadium.
Robert Bozenik opened the scoring for the hosts before the Tigers equalised through Kieran Dowell on the stroke of half time.
With neither side able to force a winner, Hull ran out 5-4 winners on penalties.
Sergej Jakirovic made 11 changes to the side that stunned Manchester United at the weekend, handing full debuts to Lucas Herrington and Matt Targett, as well as midfield pair Jens Hjerto-Dahl and Lucas Gourna-Douath.
It was a bright start from Hull, and Hjerto-Dahl in particular, who opened his body up and curled an effort towards the far post which was pushed wide by Josh Griffiths.
Paddy McNair then headed Liam Millar’s corner wide at the back post as the visitors enjoyed the best of the opening exchanges.
After losing their opening two Championship games of the season, including a 2-1 defeat to Swansea at the bet365 Stadium on the opening day, Mark Robins made seven changes as Bozenik, Luke Graham, Ben Pearson, Tomas Rigo, Million Manhoef and Laurence Giani were all handed starts.
Stoke had reportedly turned down a bid from the Tigers for star winger Sorba Thomas, and it was the Wales international who created the opener when he cut in from the left and whipped a cross in that was met by Bozenik.
The Slovakian scored the only goal when the pair last met on New Year’s Day, and the forward brushed aside McNair to head Stoke in front.
Griffiths had been given the nod in goal as Viktor Johansson was given the night off and the former West Brom stopper beat away Dowell’s first effort from distance as half-time loomed.
But the former Rangers man wasn’t to be denied a second time as he lashed home after he was picked out by Millar.
David Akintola was making his first appearance for Hull since January and spurred two golden chances to put them ahead after the break.
The Nigerian firstly steered Targett’s cross wide of the right-hand post before rounding Griffiths and firing into the side-netting after he was played in by Millar.
The forward then saw his next sight of goal comfortably saved by Griffiths.
With nothing to separate the sides at the end of 90 minutes, it was to be a penalty shootout that decided the tie.
New Stoke signing George Hirst saw his tame penalty kept out by Dillon Phillips, while Hull converted all five of their spot kicks as Mohamed Belloumi sent the Tigers into round three for the first time in six years.
The managers…
Stoke’s Mark Robins:
“I thought we played alright. There were hardly any clear-cut openings in the game other than one or two mistakes, they’d had a bit of a sight of the goal, we’d had a bit of a sight of the goal.
“Our goal was really good. The movement was brilliant in the box and the cross was really good, the cross finds him and he [Bozenik] scores again against Hull.
“I want to see us grow in real confidence and then try and boss games, and I thought we bossed the game. We were pretty good.
“We gave a goal away that was just typical of us really. It was a poor goal. We don’t win the first one, don’t win the second one, gets played wide, ball gets played in, we’re too deep and we miss tackles.
“I thought we were the better of the two teams, I thought we were good. There’s some young players in there making their debuts.
“To lose on penalties is no disgrace, the penalties were generally pretty good apart from the one you miss, which is never great.
“We’ve got to take out what we can, which is some decent performances, some good minutes into legs and the fact we’ve come through unscathed.”
Hull’s Sergej Jakirovic:
“We broke one more record, so now I have two penalty shootouts in a row!
“It was an opportunity for other players to play, and after Manchester United there was a lot of excitement, a lot of stress, a few problems with some players so I will use this competition to give other players a chance because you never know when we will need them.
“We used this game for [Hidemasa] Morita, for [Lucas] Gourna-Douath, for Jens [Hjerto-Dahl], also Abdulkadir [Omur], [David] Akintola, also Cody [Drameh]. For young [Lucas] Herrington it was great for adaptation to English football – intensity, dynamic, everything we need for the future.
“Akintola could have had a hat-trick but he showed a lot of effort, energy, he tried to press with Dowell and just missed at least one goal.”
>
-
movies3 months agoSearch For Canadian TV Actor Stewart McLean Now Homicide Investigation
-
Fashion9 years agoThese ’90s fashion trends are making a comeback in 2017
-
Fashion9 years agoAccording to Dior Couture, this taboo fashion accessory is back
-
Fashion9 years agoModel Jocelyn Chew’s Instagram is the best vacation you’ve ever had
-
Fashion9 years agoEmily Ratajkowski channels back-to-school style
-
Fashion9 years ago9 Celebrities who have spoken out about being photoshopped
-
Fashion9 years agoYour comprehensive guide to this fall’s biggest trends
-
Anime3 months agoRurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc Manga Takes 1-Issue Break – News


