Kenedy (footballer)

Robert Kenedy Nunes do Nascimento (born 8 February 1996), known as Kenedy, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Segunda División club Real Valladolid.

This article is about the Brazilian winger, born 1996. For the Portuguese midfielder, born 1975, see Daniel Kenedy. For other uses, see Robert Kennedy (disambiguation).
In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Nunes and the second or paternal family name is Nascimento.
Kenedy
Kenedy playing for Chelsea in 2017
Personal information
Full name Robert Kenedy Nunes do Nascimento[1]
Date of birth (1996-02-08) 8 February 1996
Place of birth Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Brazil
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Left winger
Team information
Current team
 Valladolid
Number 19
Youth career
2006–2009 Vasco da Gama
2009–2013 Fluminense
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2015 Fluminense 40 (5)
2015–2022 Chelsea 16 (1)
2016 → Watford (loan) 1 (0)
2018–2019 → Newcastle United (loan) 38 (3)
2019–2020 → Getafe (loan) 19 (1)
2020–2021 → Granada (loan) 28 (4)
2021–2022 → Flamengo (loan) 14 (1)
2022– Valladolid 11 (0)
International career
2012–2013 Brazil U17 13 (6)
2015 Brazil U20 7 (1)
2015 Brazil U23 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:44, 28 May 2023 (UTC)

Kenedy made his professional debut aged 17 for Fluminense, scoring five goals in 40 official games before a £6.3 million move to Chelsea in 2015. Kenedy has represented Brazil at under-17 and under-20 level.

Club career

Early career

Born in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Minas Gerais, Kenedy is named after Robert F. Kennedy.[3] He began his career at local club Santarritense before moving to Friburguense in Rio de Janeiro state at the age of 11, going on to Vasco da Gama and Atlético Mineiro before arriving at Fluminense.[3]

Fluminense

Kenedy made his professional debut on 28 July 2013 in a 2–0 Série A defeat at Grêmio, replacing Wagner for the final nine minutes. On 24 May 2014, he scored his first professional goal, the only one in an away win over Esporte Clube Bahia.[4] He netted his second goal for the club in September, a late equaliser against Cruzeiro.[5]

In March 2015, Kenedy scored in three home victories for Flu in the year's Campeonato Carioca. On 18 April, in the tournament's semi-final, he missed their first attempt as they lost 9–8 in a penalty shootout to Botafogo.[6]

2015–16 season
Kenedy playing for Chelsea in 2016

On 26 June 2015, Fluminense announced that Kenedy had been sold to an unnamed club[7] for a fee around the region of £6.3 million.[8] It was later confirmed that Kenedy was on trial at Chelsea, where he played in a pre-season match against Barcelona, after Kenedy was given permission from Fluminense to play in the game as he had not yet been formally signed. On 22 August 2015, Chelsea completed the transfer.[9]

A week later, Kenedy made his debut against Crystal Palace, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for César Azpilicueta in a 2–1 home defeat.[10] He scored his first goal for the club on 23 September in the third round of the League Cup at Walsall, also assisting compatriot Ramires in the 4–1 victory;[11] his first league goal was the following 1 March, a 39th-second effort in a 2–1 win at Norwich City that was the fastest goal of the season.[12]

Loan to Watford

On 30 August 2016, Kenedy joined Watford on a season-long loan after having a bid accepted from Chelsea.[13] On 26 September, he made his only appearance for the Hornets in a 2–0 away defeat against Burnley, replacing Roberto Pereyra with 15 minutes remaining.[14] After struggling with injuries, manager Walter Mazzarri, confirmed that Kenedy had returned to Chelsea on 12 December after a disappointing loan spell.[15]

2016–17 season

After being recalled by Chelsea from his loan spell with Watford, Kenedy made his return for the Blues in their 4–0 home victory over Brentford in their FA Cup fourth round tie. Retaining his number 16 jersey, Kenedy replaced César Azpilicueta with just under twenty minutes remaining.[16] He made his first start under Conte against Watford on 15 May 2017.[17]

2017–18 season

During a pre-season tour of China, Kenedy caused controversy by posting two inflammatory videos on social media, one captioned "Porra china", roughly translating to "Fuck China", and the other of a sleeping Chinese security guard captioned "Acorda china. Vacilão", translating to "Wake up China. You idiot".[18][19] The incident was met with uproar by Chinese fans and media.[18] As a result, Kenedy was sent back to England for damaging relationships with the Asian fan base.[20] Both Kenedy and Chelsea later issued apologies over the incident and the club stated that the player had been "strongly reprimanded and disciplined". Following the incident, Chinese media outlets were ordered to withdraw stories related to Chelsea from homepages and apps and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that there was a remote possibility of a ban for the club.[21]

In August, a loan to Newcastle United fell through on transfer deadline day.[22] On 20 September 2017, Kenedy made his first appearance since the incident during pre-season when he started against Nottingham Forest in the League Cup. He scored the opener in a 5–1 victory.[23]

Loans to Newcastle United

On 23 January 2018, Kenedy joined Newcastle United on loan for the remainder of the 2017–18 season.[24] Kenedy impressed on his Newcastle debut, creating Jamaal Lascelles opener from a corner kick in a 1–1 draw with Burnley.[25] On 10 March, Kenedy won the Man of the Match award after scoring a brace in Newcastle's 3–0 win against Southampton.[26] Kenedy provided an assist for Ayoze Perez's 80th minute winner in Newcastle's 1–0 victory against Huddersfield on 31 March. [27]

He returned to Tyneside on loan for the 2018–19 season.[28] Kenedy had a particularly poor match in a goalless draw at Cardiff City on 18 August, he avoided a red card for a kick at Víctor Camarasa, became the first player since 2010 to play a full Premier League first half without completing a pass and his penalty in added time to win the game was saved by Neil Etheridge.[29] On 6 October, Kenedy scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 loss at Manchester United.[30]

Loan to Getafe

On 2 September 2019, Kenedy was loaned to La Liga side Getafe CF for the 2019–20 season.[31] On 3 November 2019, he scored his first league goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo.[32]

Loan to Granada

On 8 September 2020, Kenedy returned to Spain with Granada on loan until the end of 2020–21 season.[33] He made his club debut as a substitute on 12 September 2020, in a 2–0 win against Athletic Bilbao.[34]

Loan to Flamengo

On 18 August 2021, Kenedy extended his contract with Chelsea and returned to Brazil on loan with Flamengo until July 2022.[35][36] He was recalled by Chelsea in January 2022 due to an injury to Ben Chilwell.[37]

2021–22 season

Kenedy made his first Chelsea appearance in over four years when he started in a 3–2 win over Luton Town in the FA Cup on 2 March 2022. He also played in the next round against Middlesbrough later that month. On the final day of the season, he made his first league appearance for the Blues in five years, starting in a 2-1 win over Watford.

Valladolid

On 1 September 2022, Kenedy joined La Liga club Real Valladolid for an undisclosed fee.[38]

International career

Kenedy scored six goals in eight games for Brazil under-17 as they came third at the 2013 South American Championship in Argentina.

Kenedy originally named as part of the Brazil under-20 squad for the 2015 World Cup in New Zealand, but missed the tournament with appendicitis, being replaced by Malcom as the team ended as runners-up.[39]

Style of play

An NBC Sports article by Nicholas Mendola in 2018 credited Kenedy's versatility, stating "The Brazilian left-sided man can play virtually any field position besides center back".[28]

Career statistics
As of match played 28 May 2023[40]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League State League[lower-alpha 1] National cup[lower-alpha 2] League cup[lower-alpha 3] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Fluminense 2013 Série A 90—————90
2014 Série A 2020010—1[lower-alpha 4]0—222
2015 Série A 1010300———113
Total 30210310—10—425
Chelsea 2015–16 Premier League 141—20212[lower-alpha 5]0—202
2016–17 Premier League 10—1000——20
2017–18 Premier League 00—203100—51
2019–20 Premier League 00—0000000000
2020–21 Premier League 00—0000000000
2021–22 Premier League 10—2000000030
Total 161—70522000303
Watford (loan) 2016–17 Premier League 10—0000——10
Newcastle United (loan) 2017–18 Premier League 132—————132
2018–19 Premier League 251—2010——281
Total 383—2010——413
Getafe (loan) 2019–20 La Liga 191—00—8[lower-alpha 6]2—273
Granada (loan) 2020–21 La Liga 284—42—12[lower-alpha 6]2—448
Flamengo (loan) 2021 Série A 141—20—1[lower-alpha 7]0—171
Real Valladolid 2022–23 La Liga 110—10———120
Career total 15712103172622440021423
  1. Includes Campeonato Carioca
  2. Includes Copa do Brasil, FA Cup, Copa del Rey
  3. Includes EFL Cup
  4. Appearance in Copa Sudamericana
  5. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. Appearance in Copa Libertadores

Honours

Chelsea

References
  1. "Squad List: FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021: Chelsea FC" (PDF). FIFA. 9 February 2022. p. 1. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  2. "Kenedy". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  3. Dorrington, Nick (30 June 2015). "Chelsea signing Kenedy is comparable to fellow Brazilian Hulk". ESPN. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  4. "FLU SEGURA PRESSÃO, VENCE O BAHIA E DORME NA LIDERANÇA DO BRASILEIRO" [FLU KEEP UP THE PRESSURE, DEFEAT BAHIA AND STAY AT THE TOP OF THE BRASILEIRO] (in Portuguese). Globo. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  5. "Transfer Spotlight: The 'new Neymar' who could be on his way to Manchester United". TalkSport. 6 March 2015.
  6. Ribeiro Júnior, Ronaldo (18 April 2015). "Botafogo 2 x 1 Fluminense: Após infinidade de pênaltis, goleiro marca e põe Fogão na final" [After an infinity of penalties, goalkeeper scores and puts Fogão in the final] (in Portuguese). Goal.com. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  7. "DEAL! Chelsea beat Manchester United to signing of Brazilian star Kenedy". Daily Express. 26 June 2015.
  8. "Kenedy set to sign for Chelsea from Fluminense". ESPNFC. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  9. "Kenedy signs". Chelsea FC. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  10. Rose, Gary (29 August 2015). "Chelsea 1–2 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  11. "Walsall 1–4 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  12. Reddy, Luke (1 March 2016). "Norwich City 1–2 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  13. "Watford loan for Kenedy" (Press release). Chelsea F.C. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  14. "Burnley 2–0 Watford". BBC Sport. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  15. "Kenedy has returned to Chelsea from underwhelming loan spell at Watford, confirms Walter Mazzarri". Metro. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016./
  16. "Chelsea 4–0 Brentford". BBC Sport. 28 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  17. "Chelsea team news: Terry leads experimental champions - Goal.com". Goal.com. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  18. "Chelsea's Kenedy sent home from China tour after offensive social media posts". the Guardian. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  19. Wheaton, Oliver (26 July 2017). "What did Chelsea's Kenedy say about China and what does 'porra' mean?". Metro. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  20. Paul Murphy (25 July 2017). "Chelsea send Kenedy home after China comments on social media". ESPN. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  21. Zhicheng Hu (24 July 2017). "Chelsea 'persona non grata' in China over Kenedy's offensive posts". GOAL.com. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  22. "Kenedy primed for surprise Chelsea reprieve with first appearance since being sent home from China tour". Telegraph. 19 September 2017.
  23. "Chelsea 5–1 Nottingham". BBC Sport. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  24. "Newcastle sign Kenedy on loan" (Press release). Newcastle United F.C. Official Site. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  25. "Newcastle United 1–1 Burnley. Premier League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  26. "Newcastle United 3–0 Southampton. Premier League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  27. "Newcastle United 1–0 Huddersfield Town. Premier League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  28. Mendola, Nicholas (12 July 2018). "Newcastle gets 2nd Kenedy loan, sells Merino to La Liga". soccer.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  29. Chowdhury, Saj (18 August 2018). "Kenedy: Newcastle midfielder's display to forget at Cardiff City Stadium". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  30. "Manchester United 3-2 Newcastle United: Fightback relieves pressure on Mourinho". BBC Sport. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  31. "Spanish loan for Kenedy" (Press release). Chelsea FC. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  32. "LIVE Commentary Celta Vigo-Getafe 0-1". Sky Sports. 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  33. "El Granada CF acuerda con el Chelsea FC la cesión de Kenedy por una temporada" (Press release) (in Spanish). Granada C.F. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  34. "Granada 2-0 Athletic". as.com (in Spanish). 12 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  35. "Kenedy extends contract and heads out on loan". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  36. "Flamengo paga R$ 3 milhões e acerta empréstimo de Kenedy por uma temporada" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Globoesporte.com. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  37. "Tuchel rules defender out with Covid-19, discusses his plans for Kenedy and looking into the transfer market". Chelsea F.C. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  38. "Kenedy, pólvora ofensiva | Real Valladolid - Web Oficial". Kenedy, pólvora ofensiva | Real Valladolid - Web Oficial (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  39. Assessoria CBF (17 May 2015). "Kenedy está desconvocado da Sub-20. Malcom será seu substituto" [Kenedy is left out of the U-20. Malcom will be his substitute] (in Portuguese). selecao.cbf.com.br. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  40. Kenedy at Soccerway. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  41. "Chelsea win Club World Cup: Kai Havertz winner sees off Palmeiras after extra time". BBC Sport. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
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