Joao Pedro must have felt a little aggrieved about not being named in Brazil’s World Cup squad. It says a lot about the strength in depth that Brazil have in attacking areas that the Chelsea man was left out. He scored 20 times for the Blues in all competitions. That is an impressive debut campaign by any standards but especially so for a player who was only 23 when he moved to the Bridge.
Given Chelsea had a very poor season, finishing 10th in the league and exiting the Champions League at the last-16 stage, the former Brighton man’s return was even more striking. But it was not enough to force his way into Carlo Ancelotti’s side, with the likes of Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha, Neymar and others chosen ahead of him.
Not long after learning he would be missing out on the extravaganza in North America, Pedro did at least have something to cheer. The hugely exciting attacker was named the winner of Chelsea’s Goal of the Season. We doubt that the fan-voted award will have softened the blow of World Cup heartache all that much but even so, all people love recognition.
Forest Stunner Lands Prize
As said, the Brazilian netted 20 goals in 50 games for Chelsea last term. That included 15 in 35 Premier League matches and it was one of those that earned him the accolade. His goal against Nottingham Forest on the 4th of May came late in the season and late in the match.
What a finish from Joao Pedro! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/I5kQtllS7X
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 4, 2026
It was a goal worthy of winning any competition, let alone any game. However, in this instance, the magical moment was rather tainted by the fact that it was the last strike in a dismal 3-1 home defeat. Forest led from the second minute, made it 2-0 after just 15 minutes and scored their third in the 52nd minute.
Football fans being football fans, we suspect many left their seats at that point and called it a day. Certainly, by the 93rd minute, there were plenty of empty seats inside Stamford Bridge, but those who left early missed out.
Chelsea ended the season very badly, and this game saw them lose for a sixth consecutive time in the Premier League. What’s more, they almost completed a sixth consecutive clash without even so much as scoring.
When they finally snapped that barren spell in front of goal, we would love to say it was worth waiting for. Metaphorically, it may well have been, but no Chelsea fan would be pleased with going almost six matches without a goal, no matter how good the strike was when it eventually came.
With time running out, thankfully, Malo Gusto crossed the ball long to the back post. Marc Cucurella, now of Real Madrid, headed the ball back across the area to Pedro. The ball was a little higher than he might have liked, and the angle meant that a header on goal was not an option.
Instead, the Brazilian jumped up to take the ball on his chest. It went even higher into the air and then Pedro produced an incredible piece of skill and athleticism to fire an overhead kick into the opposite corner of the Forest goal. Everything about the finish was magnificent, with the power generated by the bicycle kick particularly impressive. Neither the keeper, Matz Sels, nor the defender back on the line had any chance of stopping the ball, and it flew into the net.
Estevao and Caicedo Make the Podium
Considering it was far from a vintage season for Chelsea, they had some excellent goals in the mix for the 2025/26 Goal of the Season. Pedro’s acrobatic rocket was a worthy winner, but Estevao Willian’s worldie against Barcelona was also magical.
Estevao, who is still just 19 years old, is another who had a very promising first campaign at Stamford Bridge. He is, sadly, also another of the Blues’ contingent not to be at the World Cup. The dazzling winger suffered a bad hamstring injury against Manchester United on the 18th of April 2026. It ended his season and also his hopes of representing Selecao at the World Cup.
The youngster showed lots of moments of magic over the season, but none better than his brilliant solo goal against mighty Barcelona. The result was one of the highlights of the campaign for the club too, as they recorded a handsome 3-0 home win over the Catalans.
Estevao was just 18 at the time, the match taking place on the 25th of November 2025 in the Champions League league phase. In some ways, the game was a battle of the teenage superstars. Lamine Yamal has achieved far more than Estevao right now, but the Brazilian has the potential to close the gap.
And on this magical night at Stamford Bridge, he came out very much on top. Chelsea took the lead in the 27th minute thanks to an own goal, but Estevao made it 2-0 in the 55th minute. He would be subbed off to a standing ovation in the 82nd minute, having produced an excellent all-round display that was capped by his stunning goal.
The former Palmeiras player picked the ball up wide on the right after a net exchange of passes between Andre Santos and Reece James. He drove into the box at real pace before using his excellent balance to cut inside Pau Cubarsi. He then showed good strength to fend off Alejandro Balde before unleashing an unstoppable drive past Joan Garcia.
The ball flew into the roof of the net from a tight angle as Stamford Bridge erupted. It is a real shame we will not get to see the youngster at the World Cup, but his time will come, and Chelsea fans can be very excited about what he might produce in 2026/27.
Caicedo Takes Bronze
Caicedo is not a player known for his goalscoring, although the brilliant Ecuadorian can do a bit of everything. Pressing, winning the ball and harrying the opposition are what he does best, but he took third place in Chelsea’s Goal of the Season honours with a wonderful strike against Liverpool.
Any goal against the Reds is to be celebrated, but the midfielder’s was a real rocket. It won Chelsea’s Goal of the Month in October 2025 and came in a 2-1 home win. Estevao scored the winner in the 95th minute, but it was Caicedo’s blast from 25 yards that fans will remember. He picked the ball up midway inside the Liverpool half and strode away from Alexis Mac Allister towards the edge of the area.
The Reds defenders backed off, and Caicedo faked to shoot once before taking an extra step or two. When he did shoot, he could not have caught the ball any cleaner, and it was still rising when it crashed into the keeper’s top-right corner.