Joao Pedro has said an emotional goodbye to his Fluminense team-mates before flying to England to meet up with Watford.

The 18-year-old Brazilian posted a message on Twitter on Tuesday morning containing both aeroplane and English flag emojis, letting everyone know he was on his way, but prior to his flight, the young striker said farewell to his erstwhile colleagues.

Speaking to Brazilian publication Globo Esporte, the youngster said he shed a tear at the thought of leaving the club.

"I spent almost half of my life at the club," he said.

"Goodbye is always difficult. I know everyone there and I've been through everything, but that's football. I tried not to cry there, but I cried. Now I'm ready to go.

"I was anxious about being sold because I was in the Under 17s and the normal thing would be to go to to the Under 20s. And then I didn't know if I could play pro, which I really wanted. I wanted to repay what the club did for me. It was a dream of mine to play at Fluminense. I didn't want to go without playing pro. And thank God I was able to play, I had a run, I managed to score goals, some that will live long in the memory of the fans, such as the bicycle kick and the hat-trick in the Copa Scudamerica."

 

Joao Pedro also revealed he had been playing through pain for Fluminese with tendonitis in his ankle hindering his performances.

However, he said the pain did not matter to him, as long as he was playing.

"I had ankle tendonitis and spent a lot of time playing with an injections," he said.

"Only it didn't matter to me. I just wanted to be on the field helping Fluminense, because it was a difficult time. But the fans don't know. There are a lot of struggling players who play in pain."