When Hull City announced they were signing a 32-year-old free agent in late September 2024, the reaction from the MKM Stadium faithful was... mixed. Some called it a masterstroke. Others, naturally, panicked. After all, the Tigers were already navigating a weirdly transitional season under Tim Walter, and adding a veteran who had just finished a goal-dry spell in Brazil felt like a massive gamble.
Joao Pedro Hull City became a trending topic not because of a multi-million-pound fee, but because of the sheer curiosity surrounding the man. Was this the same guy who terrorized Serie A defenses for nearly a decade? Or was this a player looking for one last payday in East Yorkshire?
Honestly, the reality was somewhere in the middle. Joao Pedro Geraldino dos Santos Galvão—to give him his full, mouthful of a name—didn't come to Hull to just sit on the bench. He came to prove that the "old man" of the Turkish Super Lig still had some magic left in his boots.
The Arrival: A Free Agent Gamble
The deal itself was straightforward: a one-year contract with a club option for another. It was low risk for the club but high pressure for the player. He arrived after a frustrating stint at Fenerbahçe and a loan back in Brazil with Grêmio that didn't exactly set the world on fire.
The fans were skeptical. I remember scrolling through the Championship subreddits at the time. One fan joked that signing aging players from Turkey was basically a Hull City tradition at this point. "Ah, when has that ever failed us before?" they sarcastically wrote.
But Hull was desperate for a focal point. They needed someone who didn't just run around—they needed someone who knew where to stand. Pedro’s debut came against Norwich City in October 2024. He actually "scored" a late goal in that game, but the referee called it back for a phantom handball. It was a sign of the frustration that would define much of his early weeks in a Tigers shirt.
That Weird Transition from Walter to Selles
Under Tim Walter, Pedro was... static. There’s no other way to put it. He looked a bit lost in a system that demanded high-intensity pressing. At one point, against Burnley, he reportedly had only five touches of the ball. Five!
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Things changed when Ruben Selles took over.
Selles seemed to realize that you don't ask a 33-year-old with over 400 career appearances to chase shadows. You ask him to lead. By December 2024, the "Joao Pedro Hull City" experiment actually started to look like a genius move. He began linking up beautifully with the younger wingers, using what local writers called "the dark arts"—basically shielding the ball, drawing fouls, and being a general nuisance to Championship center-backs who were ten years younger than him.
The Stats: Six Goals and a Red Card
If you look at the raw numbers, Joao Pedro’s time at Hull City looks modest. 36 appearances. 6 goals. 2 assists.
But stats are liars.
His impact was about the moments that kept Hull away from the relegation scrap. He scored his first goal against Portsmouth in early November, and from there, he became the veteran presence the dressing room lacked. He wasn't the fastest, but his "in-game intelligence," as Selles put it, was levels above the rest of the squad.
The Five Mad Minutes in Bristol
If you want to understand the Joao Pedro experience at Hull, you have to look at March 2025. The Tigers were away at Bristol City.
- Minute 1: Pedro receives the ball with his back to goal.
- Minute 2: He performs a gorgeous, silk-smooth swivel that leaves the defender for dead.
- Minute 3: He strokes the ball into the bottom corner. Pure class.
- Minute 4: Hull fans are singing his name.
- Minute 5: Pedro flies into a lunging, completely unnecessary tackle. Straight red card.
That was him in a nutshell. Brilliant, then suddenly impulsive. He missed three crucial games after that, and the team struggled without his hold-up play.
Why He Left for Mexico
By May 2025, the rumors were swirling. Hull had a decision to make: do they trigger the one-year extension?
The fans wanted him to stay. There were comparisons to the legendary Dean Windass—that veteran striker who just knew how to get the job done. But negotiations hit a wall. Whether it was the allure of a new challenge or just a better financial package, Joao Pedro decided to head to North America.
In July 2025, he signed with Atlético de San Luis in Mexico.
And man, has he thrived there. As of early 2026, he’s been absolutely tearing up Liga MX. He scored 12 goals in the Apertura season alone. It makes you wonder: did Hull let him go too soon? Or was the Championship just too physical for him to sustain that level of output over 46 games?
What Most People Get Wrong About the "Other" Joao Pedro
We have to address the elephant in the room. If you Google "Joao Pedro," you usually find the younger guy—the one who moved from Brighton to Chelsea for a massive fee.
- The Chelsea Joao Pedro: Born 2001, Brazilian international, worth £60m+.
- The Hull City Joao Pedro: Born 1992, Italian-Brazilian, the Cagliari legend.
People constantly get them confused. During his time at Hull, social media was full of "Why is Joao Pedro playing in the Championship?" from casual fans who thought the Brighton star had suffered a catastrophic career collapse. Nope. Just different guys with the same name.
Our Joao Pedro—the Hull version—is a man of 271 appearances for Cagliari. He’s the guy who earned an Italy cap under Roberto Mancini. He’s a veteran who provided a masterclass in professional survival during a chaotic year in East Yorkshire.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're still following his career or looking back at that 2024/25 season, here is what we can learn:
- Experience vs. System: Pedro proved that a "static" striker can still be effective if the manager adapts. Ruben Selles saved Pedro’s Hull career by stopping the unnecessary running and letting him focus on positioning.
- The "Turkey to Championship" Pipeline: It’s a risky move. For every Joao Pedro who contributes 6 vital goals, there are three others who never adjust to the pace. Hull’s recruitment under Acun Ilicali remains a fascinating, high-stakes experiment.
- Watch the Liga MX Stats: If you want to see what Hull missed out on, check the 2025/26 Liga MX Clausura highlights. Pedro is currently playing some of the best football of his life at 33, proving that he wasn't "finished"—he just needed a different rhythm.
The Joao Pedro Hull City story was short, occasionally frustrating, but ultimately vital for the club's survival in the Championship during a period where they couldn't buy a goal to save their lives. He came, he scored some beauties, he got a silly red card, and he moved on. That's football.
To keep up with the latest on Hull City's current attacking options like Mason Burstow or to see how Pedro is faring in Mexico, you can track the live Liga MX stats on FotMob or the official Hull City news feed.