Chelsea‘s new 24 year old striker Joao Pedro has been on a tear lately since Liam Rosenior took over as the Blues manager, and according to recent numbers shared by BBC Sport, his shot to goal conversion rate is higher than two of the biggest names in world football.
Pedro is turning 24.6 percent of his shots into goals, whereas Manchester City marksman Erling Haaland’s conversion rate is just behind him at 22.5. Another European Golden Boot contender – and last year’s winner – Kylian Mbappe is behind him, too, with a conversion rate of 20.7.
Now, there are better conversion rates out there, as Harry Kane is converting an insane 31.3 percent of his shots into goals. Kane, by the way, is on 30 goals this season, while Haaland is at 22 and Mbappe 23.
Though Kane is in an easier league to score goals, his conversion rate proves he is in a class of his own. But Pedro’s conversion rate really sneaks up on you, since his 14 goals are well behind Haaland’s in the same league and then Mbappe’s, even with the latter now having injury woes.
Pedro is not necessarily a pure striker, and Chelsea fans have been loving his hold up play. But the conversion rate is a reminder that his finishing and technical level are also very high, and this young striker is still only scratching the surface on the world class No. 9 he could get become for the Blues.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.