Robert Kenedy Nunes do Nascimento, known simply as Kenedy, was born in Brazil in 1996 and came through the youth academy at Fluminense before making his senior debut for the club in July 2013 against Grêmio. He went on to score his first professional goal against EC Bahia in May 2014, finishing his time at Fluminense with 40 appearances and 5 goals across all competitions.
In August 2015, Chelsea signed Kenedy for a reported fee of £6.3 million, with the move attracting significant interest from clubs including Manchester United, Barcelona, and Juventus before he chose Stamford Bridge. He collected a Premier League winner's medal with Chelsea in the 2016–17 season, one of the notable highlights of his time at the club. However, a pre-season incident in China in 2017 damaged his standing at Chelsea, and from 2018 onward he spent successive seasons on loan — at Newcastle United (twice), Getafe, Granada, and Flamengo — before returning to Chelsea in January 2022 following Ben Chilwell's injury. He provided an assist for Kai Havertz in the final league match of that season.
A versatile, left-sided player capable of operating as a midfielder, forward, or defender, Kenedy offers pace and direct running down the flank. Chelsea remains his registered club, though his path forward at the club has been shaped largely by loan moves rather than a settled first-team role. At international level, he represented Brazil at under-17 level, scoring 6 goals in 8 matches at the 2013 South American U-17 Championship in Argentina.