Pedro Neto took stock of the year 2025 in statements to DAZN and went back to the final of the Club World Cup, won by Chelsea against Paris Saint-Germain (3-0), to illustrate the physical and tactical demands that marked the season. The Portuguese international revealed that, in that decisive match, he had to give up part of his usual way of playing to perform more defensive duties, namely in constantly monitoring Hakimi's climbs. «In games where I had to give up, perhaps, a little bit of my way of playing... I remember jokingly telling the manager that, after 40 minutes, he was dead», said Pedro Neto. «When we scored the goal, I went over to talk to him and said: 'Oh mister, I'm dead'», he recalled, highlighting the «dirtiest job» that was asked of him in that game. The extreme of blues framed this episode in a year that he classified as particularly challenging, both on an individual and collective level. «It was a very demanding year, even due to the competitions we had, and space was often very short», he stated. Pedro Neto also highlighted the difference compared to the previous season, explaining that, in 2025, Chelsea no longer had so much margin to manage the squad's effort, especially with qualification for the Champions League. «Last year we were able to rest more between the Conference League and the Premier League. This year I started to have this challenge of playing Saturday, then Tuesday and again Sunday, but it's a challenge that I always call an unbelievable challenge, because there's nothing better than being on the field and being able to play football, obviously", he concluded.