Premier League’s new £18m striker shares Cristiano Ronaldo inspiration
Pablo Felipe is the latest striker looking to take the Premier League by storm after signing for West Ham in an effort to boost their hopes of avoiding relegation
West Ham have named Pablo Felipe in their squad to face Wolves and the Premier League’s newest attacking recruit comes with real pedigree. The Brazilian has joined for an initial £18.3million after scoring 10 goals in 13 Primeira Liga appearances for Gil Vicente this season, but that’s nothing compared to his father’s record.
Pablo’s father Pena was at Porto during Jose Mourinho’s time as manager, though he was out on loan when the Portuguese club won the Champions League. His breakout season came a little earlier, when his 22 goals in the 2000/01 season was the highest in the league – ahead of Netherlands star Pierre van Hooijdonk and future Porto star Derlei, among others.
After completing his move to the London Stadium, Pablo highlighted his father’s past in his first interview. However, he also emphasised how Cristiano Ronaldo – once of Porto’s rivals Sporting CP – has impacted his career.
“Yes, my father played for Porto, he was the league’s top scorer, he has a great history in football,” the 22-year-old said. “I was greatly inspired by my father for everything he taught me about football from the very beginning, but of course Cristiano Ronaldo is an inspiration to all players in terms of discipline, focus and determination. So, Cristiano Ronaldo is definitely an inspiration to me, because he is a great player, but also a great athlete with tremendous focus.”
READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Liverpool in defender deal, Semenyo exit date, Wharton on Man Utd’s six-man shortlistREAD MORE: Mikel Arteta explains Arsenal’s January transfer plans as midfielder nears exit
Pena also faced off against current West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo during the 2004/05 season. He scored for Maritimo against a Porto side who had Nuno on the bench as their back-up goalkeeper, and Pablo has also spoken about his new boss.
“Nuno is a great manager, a manager I have always looked up to, always admired greatly, always wanted to work with one day, and he has a very ambitious project,” he said. “He is a great manager, and that made me want to join West Ham, this great Club.”
West Ham are looking to make another January signing in attack after allowing Niclas Fullkrug to join AC Milan on loan. Lazio striker Taty Castellanos is reportedly their top target ahead of a pair of games against fellow strugglers Wolves and Nottingham Forest which could shape their survival chances.
“Our job here at West Ham takes so much out of us that honestly it seems like there’s nothing else around,” Nuno said ahead of the meeting with his former club Wolves. “There’s nothing else, it doesn’t exist, anything.
“What I want is to perform, compete and make this point [against Brighton] really valuable. If we achieve a good win there, a good performance, this is what we’re going to prepare.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
