The early MaZaCar days under Rafael Benítez were fun to watch. Hazard running the flank and shooting off his right foot, Oscar buzzing between the lines, Mata pulling strings just behind the striker.
Arguably the best front three Chelsea have had this century, and fans had a nickname for it before most of us even realised it needed one: MaZaCar, built from Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar, all on the pitch together during Benítez’s interim spell.
Chelsea have another exciting front trio now.
Two official matches into the Xabi Alonso era, a win at Fulham in the Premier League and another over Luton Town in the Carabao Cup, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and João Pedro have already looked like a front three worth naming.
So, what are we going to call them? A nickname has already emerged, and it hasn’t gone down well with all three players involved.
Football has a habit of doing this to great front lines, from Barcelona’s MSN (Messi, Suárez, Neymar) to Real Madrid’s BBC (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano), and now it’s Chelsea’s turn again.
Here are six options built entirely from combining their names and initials, from the one that’s already stuck to a few that probably should.
1. JP Morgan
Many fans quickly dubbed the trio “JP Morgan” due to their impressive synergy on the field, stitching João Pedro’s initials onto Morgan Rogers’ first name to land, by accident, on the name of one of the world’s biggest banks.
It spread fast after all three were involved in the win at Fulham.
Palmer, however, is not fond of this nickname, and instead praised the unique attributes that Pedro and Rogers contribute to Chelsea.
The 24-year-old also mentioned that the three of them complement each other well, which enhances their effectiveness during matches.
Palmer told Sky Sports:
“It’s a rubbish name. We need to come up with something better than that. I think we’ve got a different mix of qualities. Joao can do a bit of everything. Morgan’s more physical and I’m more technical, so I think we’ve got a good balance.”
Palmer wants something better. Challenge accepted.
2. CPR
Cole, Pedro, Rogers. It’s the initials-only option Palmer says he wants, and it comes with a pun built in: CPR, as in the thing you administer when something needs bringing back to life.
Chelsea’s attack has looked anything but lifeless through two games, but as a name for the trio tasked with keeping it that way all season, “CPR” has a nice ring to it, and it does the job of representing all three names without forcing a real word into shape.
3. PRP
Palmer, Rogers, Pedro, rearranged into another medical acronym with an accidental football connection.
PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, is the injury treatment plenty of footballers actually turn to for a faster recovery, injecting a patient’s own concentrated platelets back into a damaged muscle or tendon to speed up the healing process.
As a nickname for three players whose interplay has looked designed to speed up Chelsea’s own recovery from a difficult few seasons, the pun writes itself.
4. ComoJo
Moving into MaZaCar territory: a proper portmanteau rather than a straight acronym. ComoJo takes “Co” from Cole, “Mo” from Morgan and “Jo” from João, blending into something that actually sounds like a name rather than a row of letters, closer in spirit to how Mata, Hazard and Oscar became MaZaCar in the first place.
It also rolls off the tongue in a way most of the other options here don’t. Say it out loud a few times and it starts to sound like it’s always been the trio’s name, which is really the whole test a good football nickname has to pass.
5. PalMojo
Our own addition to the list: “Pal” from Palmer, “Mo” from Morgan, “Jo” from João, landing on a word that already means something in English.
Getting your “mojo” back is exactly what this front three looks capable of doing for Chelsea’s attack, whether or not the wordplay was intentional.
It’s the kind of name that works on two levels at once, which is usually what separates the nicknames that stick around for a decade from the ones that fade out by Christmas.
MSN and BBC both worked because they doubled as something instantly recognisable beyond football. “PalMojo” has a similar trick up its sleeve.
6. PePalRo
The most literal of the portmanteau options: “Pe” from Pedro, “Pal” from Palmer, “Ro” from Rogers, stacked together in one word.
It’s a mouthful next to “JP Morgan,” but it has the advantage of pulling a fragment from every name involved rather than leaning on Rogers’ first name doubling as a coincidence, the way the bank pun does.
Whether any of these six actually catch on is out of our hands, and largely out of Palmer’s too. A
s MaZaCar proved, supporters usually decide these things for themselves, on the terraces and on social media, long before anyone official signs off on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Chelsea’s front three called JP Morgan?
It’s a pun combining João Pedro’s initials with Morgan Rogers’ first name. It caught on with fans after all three players featured in Chelsea’s opening two matches of the 2026/27 season, a win at Fulham and a Carabao Cup win over Luton Town.
Does Cole Palmer like being called part of JP Morgan?
No. Palmer told Sky Sports it’s a rubbish name, arguing the trio’s contrasting styles (his own technical game, João Pedro’s all-round ability and Rogers’ physicality) deserve a better name than a single catch-all pun.
What was Chelsea’s MaZaCar front three?
MaZaCar was the nickname for Chelsea’s Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar front three under Rafael Benítez, widely remembered as one of the club’s most exciting attacking trios of the last two decades.
