Like Benzema & as good as Haaland - Alonso on Joao Pedro

Joao Pedro has scored 25 goals since joining Chelsea at the beginning of last season, including one in a Club World Cup final success

Xabi Alonso says Chelsea striker Joao Pedro is similar in style to his former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema - and at a comparable level to Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

The Brazil international, 24, has scored twice and provided two assists in his first three games of the season - and was named the Premier League’s Player of the Month on Friday.

It was the first time Joao Pedro has won the award as he finished ahead of team-mate Cole Palmer, who was Chelsea’s previous recipient in September 2024.

When asked whether the forward could be compared to the prolific Haaland, who won last season’s Premier League Golden Boot with 27 goals, Blues boss Alonso said: “I would say yes.

“If you count how many top strikers we have in the Premier League, I’m sure that Joao [Pedro] is there, Haaland for sure is there. So I would rate him that way.”

Joao Pedro signed a new contract at Stamford Bridge last month to stay until 2034, and was handed Chelsea’s number nine shirt at the start of the season.

He became the club’s first striker since Diego Costa to score 20 goals in a single season during his debut campaign and has struck 25 times and had 11 assists in 57 matches since joining last summer.

In his last 57 matches for City, Norway’s Haaland has 42 goals and supplied nine assists.

Benzema won multiple Champions League titles and the Ballon d’Or while at Real Madrid

Unlike Haaland, who is a specialist goalscorer, Joao Pedro has played as a midfielder, number 10 and winger during his career and possesses a more rounded skillset.

Alonso, who made 195 appearances alongside former Ballon d’Or winner Benzema at Real Madrid, said there were also similarities between the Frenchman and Joao Pedro.

“In many things he reminds me of Benzema, because he is good in the box, he is good out of the box, he is good coming to his left side, he is good with the head, he is very complete, he is intelligent,” added the Spaniard.

“So yes, he is still young, still things to develop, but many, many absolutely outstanding qualities that he has.”

Benzema, now 38 and a free agent, has scored 523 goals in 994 appearances for France, Lyon, Real Madrid and Saudi Arabian sides Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal.

Meanwhile, Joao Pedro was a surprise omission from Brazil’s squad for the World Cup this summer, but has since been recalled for September’s international fixtures against New Zealand and India.

Asked whether the omission by Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti, who coached Alonso at Real Madrid, had provided added motivation this season, the Chelsea boss said: “He had enough motivation.

“He already had enough within him, so I didn’t need to go there. It was painful for him, but that is in the past. We are now focused on what he is doing well and what he can do better.

“He has been outstanding. Not just in football terms, but in his personality, his maturity and his desire. He has a very clear goal this season, which is to have a great campaign and score a lot of goals.”

Mourinho compares Mbappe and Vini Jr to fruit trees after boos

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has compared Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr to fruit trees in defending the pair after they were booed by their own fans this week.

Mbappe moved joint-fifth in the list of all-time list of Champions League scorers when he netted the opener in a 2-1 victory against Inter Milan on Tuesday.

But both the Frenchman and Brazilian Vinicius Jr were subjected to jeers from the home support at the Bernabeu.

Both players have been criticised for their lack of defensive work but Mourinho says the criticism is because people “want to get a piece” of the duo.

“In Portuguese, we have a proverb that says we only throw stones at the trees that have fruit,” Mourinho said when asked about winger Vinicius Jr.

“So what Vini has done here over recent years - how many CL has he won, how many goals has he scored, how many balls has he won? His achievements speak for themselves so he is the tree that has a lot of fruit on it and people want to get a piece of Vini.

“During this digital era where we have access to so many stats, we can tell that he is very close to getting to his best version. He’s even set some records already. The stats and numbers he registers suggest we will see his best version very soon.”

Mourinho provided a similar defence of Frenchman Mbappe, who is among the nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or after scoring 42 goals in 44 games for his club last season.

“I want to remind you of the proverb I said before. He is the tree with a lot of fruit,” Mourinho added.

“Obviously a player who scores more than 40 goals for a team is never a problem.

“I saw Kylian giving it his all. He was defending like an animal, even when he had nothing left. His attitude is incredible. It is a joy for me to see a player like that.”

Despite Mbappe’s goals, Real Madrid did not win a trophy last year and Spanish football expert Guillem Balague said that could be one of a few reasons why the home fans were booing.

“I don’t think anyone really knows [why],” Balague told 5Live’s Euro Leagues podcast.

“There was a bit about the past, of two years of no winning. But the two main stars are not that liked by the fans.

“Mbappe feels a little bit cold, sometimes he can be like Cristiano Ronaldo and he speaks like he is bigger than Real Madrid. And also, he said no to Real Madrid about three times before and maybe they haven’t forgotten that - but without Mbappe’s goals, the club would be in a very different place.

“And Vinicius worked really hard without the ball, but they just don’t forgive him anything even though he did renew his contract. It’s a bit of a mystery but I think he is feeling the heat of it.”

Who am I? Guess Bundesliga star No 3

We’re marking top-flight German football being shown live on the BBC Sport website, app and on BBC iPlayer every Friday with a Bundesliga edition of our Who Am I? game.

This Friday, Union Berlin host Schalke at 19:30 BST - and you can watch live on BBC iPlayer or on the BBC Sport website and app.

The rules for this quiz are simple. We want you to guess the Bundesliga footballer in as few attempts as possible.

After each wrong guess, you unlock a new clue. The fewer clues you need to get the right answer, the more points you score.

Three is a good score. Four or five points is exceptional.

Today’s player and clues set by BBC Sport’s Adam Ellis.

Who Am I? Guess the Bundesliga Star No 3

We’re marking top-flight German football being shown live on the BBC Sport website, app and on BBC iPlayer every Friday with a Bundesliga edition of our Who Am I? game.

This Friday, Union Berlin host Schalke at 19:30 BST - and you can watch live on BBC iPlayer or on the BBC Sport website and app.

The rules for this quiz are simple. We want you to guess the Bundesliga footballer in as few attempts as possible.

After each wrong guess, you unlock a new clue. The fewer clues you need to get the right answer, the more points you score.

Three is a good score. Four or five points is exceptional.

Today’s player and clues set by BBC Sport’s Adam Ellis.

Barca's Rodri apologises over Valencia 'weak' comments

Rodri joined Barcelona this summer in a £65m move from Manchester City

Barcelona midfielder Rodri says he has apologised to the entire Valencia squad after television cameras appeared to catch him describing the La Liga strugglers as “very weak”.

Rodri reportedly made the comment to Barcelona team-mates Pau Cubarsi and Raphinha while sitting on the bench after being substituted during his side’s 5-0 league win against Valencia on Sunday.

The result at Mestella Stadium left Valencia bottom of the table with no wins in their first four matches.

Though the footage has no audio, broadcaster Movistar claimed they lip-read the 30-year-old former Manchester City player saying: “They’re really weak. They haven’t got past the halfway line.”

Fans and sections of the Spanish media accused Rodri, who won the golden ball as Spain won the 2026 World Cup, of being disrespectful.

“I apologised to my friend and colleague Jose Gaya [Spain defender and Valencia captain] and to the entire squad as well,” Rodri said after Barcelona’s 5-1 win against Feyenoord in the Champions League on Wednesday.

“I also want to make it clear that it was simply an expression of surprise - anyone watching the video can see that.”

“At no point did I intend to mock anyone or take a difficult moment for a team out of context. Quite the opposite - we all want Valencia to return to where it belongs in the league, it is one of the best clubs in the competition. I simply wanted to say that.”

“I would also add that it was a private conversation; I think we should all learn a bit more from this, as things really do get taken out of context sometimes. But at no point did I mean any disrespect. My apologies to Valencia.”