Chelsea's Joao Pedro aims to overcome his father's troubled legacy, focusing on success in the Premier League after a transformative journey through Brazil's Fluminense.

British media has shone a spotlight on Chelsea's summer signing, Brazilian player Joao Pedro, acquired for £60 million, cautioning him against the pitfalls that ensnared his father, the former Botafogo star known as "Chicao." Chicao was sentenced to 16 years in prison for aiding in a murder, though he was released after eight years but found no club willing to employ him at the age of 31.

In a television interview following his release, Chicao reflected on his past while his son, Joao, played with a football in their garden: "I faced death many times. I made a mistake and I regret it. I contemplated suicide. I am a good person and I understand that no one has the right to take another person's life. I never imagined I'd be out playing football with my son again. I dreamed of this day often."

Chicao was not alone in this dream; his son Joao, at eight years old, expressed his own hopes: "I always wanted to play with my dad, and I'm going to make this happen. My sister also wanted to play with him, but we couldn't because he was in jail."

After her husband's imprisonment, Flavia Junqueira separated from Chicao and rented out the family home to afford a private school for her children in the Ribeirao Preto neighborhood of São Paulo. Their circumstances changed when Joao Pedro joined Fluminense, prompting the family to relocate to the Ceram neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, 400 miles away. Joao, now 23, recalls: "We lived without luxury, but we lacked nothing in Ribeirao Preto. We left everything behind to chase the dream of playing for Fluminense. In Ceram, we resided in shared accommodation with another mother and her child, sharing financial hardships. My mother even skipped meals so I could eat my fill."

Driven by desperation, Joao Pedro's mother turned to the club for help. "I shared our life's story in three hours," Flavia recalls. "I was completely desperate and had no money to cover our family's needs. The financial assistance formed a friendship that became the foundation for everything that followed. I always tell people that Fluminense embraces its community because it helped us so much in transforming our lives."

Joao Pedro also transitioned from a defensive midfielder like his father to a central forward, then a striker, following the rise of his competition for the No. 9 jersey in the under-20 team.

Although Pedro remains grateful to his Brazilian club, circumstances left him with no other option but to score for Chelsea against them in the Club World Cup. Now, he looks forward to making a significant impact in the Premier League, enough to banish the shadows of his past.