Eclipsing Neymar, Brazil debut & finding his edge: Wonderkid Estevao Willian already looks primed to become a Chelsea star

When it comes to pre-agreed transfers, there is always the risk that things could go awry in the intervening period – goals drying up, injuries, form falling off a cliff, etcetera. For now, at least, that is certainly not the case for Estevao Willian.

The Brazilian will be heading to Chelsea next summer, after the Blues saw off some serious competition to sign the prodigious Palmeiras attacker in June for a massive £56 million ($73m). For the time being, it looks like an investment that will be handsomely rewarded.

Still six months shy of his 18th birthday and the point where he can legally join up with his new club, Estevao has dazzled in Brazil in the 2024 season; blessed with generational dribbling ability, vision and an eye for goal, he has already made history and will have more in his sights.

“My biggest dream is to be the best player in the world,” he said this month. “That’s my dream. One day I’ll be among the best. But I’m not going to promise or project that I’ll achieve this in a few years. It’ll come naturally.”

Chelsea, then, have a potentially world-class talent on their hands – this is how he’s been getting on…

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  Record-breaker

  Estevao has intermittently made global headlines since his transfer to Chelsea was confirmed as his progress at Palmeiras is keenly tracked by both followers of the Blues and Brazilian football enthusiasts, and he reached a significant milestone over the weekend.

  Although his 18th birthday in April is still six months away, the teenager eclipsed one of his idols by becoming the most productive under-17 player in Brazil’s Serie A since the turn of the century – a record previously held by former wonderkid, Neymar.

  The Palmeiras starlet moved onto 18 league goal contributions for the season as he scored and assisted in the 5-3 defeat of Juventude, squeezing the ball home from close-range to open the scoring before playing a simple square ball on the edge of the box as the Verdao went 2-1 up.

  Neymar had posted a combined 16 with Santos in 2009, and he was among the first to congratulate his protege, writing on Instagram: “Congratulations [Estevao] for the broken record. May you continue to shine and enchant everyone with your football. Fly.”

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    Gunning for more

    That milestone has come amid the best form of Estevao’s budding career to date. The 17-year-old has made nine goal contributions in his last six appearances either side of a hamstring issue in September, including two goals and two assists in a single game against Cuiaba, and he will already have more history in his sights.

    The Serie A season runs from April to December, and with just eight games to go the youngster has moved up to joint-second in the scoring charts alongside 37-year-old Hulk (yes, that Hulk) on 10 goals, with some stunning strikes among them. Flamengo striker Pedro currently occupies No.1 spot with 11, but he has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a knee injury.

    As such, Estevao has the opportunity to become the youngest top scorer in the history of Brazil’s top flight in the weeks that remain. Indeed, there has never been an Artilheiro under the age of 18; the record is currently held by Keirrison, who was 19 when he finished top of the charts with Coritiba in 2008, and even before the unification of the Brasilerao the likes of Pele did not match the feat in the 1960s.

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    Senior international already

    With a burgeoning reputation, Estevao is garnering more and more attention in his football-crazed home country. “Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar. You watch him and you fall in love,” the head of Palmeiras’ academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, told the BBC recently.

    The spotlight intensified in late August, as he was called up to the senior Brazil squad for the first time for the September internationals against Ecuador and Paraguay, sparking emotional celebrations with his family.

    Estevao emerged from the bench shortly after the hour mark against the former to make his international debut – a hugely significant moment despite his career being in it’s infancy. In a quietly composed half-hour, the teenager completed 12 of 12 passes to help his team to a 1-0 victory. He started on the bench again against Paraguay a few days later, only being afforded a four-minute cameo in a defeat by the same scoreline.

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    Still learning – literally

    Despite his meteoric rise, football is not all-consuming for young Estevao, who is remarkably still having to focus on his studies on the side, just in case that football career somehow goes awry.

    “School is the rest of my day. It’s not easy,” he told The Guardian earlier in October. “There are some very difficult subjects. Physics is the hardest. It’s very difficult to remember the formulas, how to work it out.”

    Despite preparing to make the huge leap to the Premier League, the Brazilian has no plans to abandon his schoolwork – with that commitment a sign of his maturity. “I will study in London as well,” Estevao says. “But I will continue at the same school, I will continue studying online, like nowadays.”

    Finding his edge

    Notoriously physical, Brazil’s top-flight seems to have been the ideal proving ground for Estevao as he prepares himself for the rigours of English football. Despite his slight, 5’7 frame, the teen appears to have worked hard on his core strength and never shirks a battle. Indeed, a clip of just how resilient he has become went viral following the game against Juventude.

    Chasing the ball on the left flank, Estevao gets clattered and barrel rolls a couple of times before springing back to his feet and carrying on his run, only to be hauled to the floor once again on the edge of the box by the same opponent.

    • The youngster was involved in another incident in August, with a defender knocked unconscious and airlifted to hospital after he fell awkwardly when Estevao muscled into him. The winger apologised and insisted it was accidental.

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      Show of faith

      For their part, Chelsea will be thrilled with how Estevao has progressed in his homeland, and it has been reported that they have already decided what the immediate future will hold for the attacker once he arrives at Stamford Bridge in July 2025.

      Despite the wealth of attacking options at Enzo Maresca’s disposal, the Blues supposedly have no intention of sending their soon-to-be new signing out on loan – a pathway that has effectively ended the Chelsea careers of countless first-team hopefuls in years gone by.

      Instead, Estevao will be immediately integrated into the first-team set-up – a significant show of faith in a player who will have only just turned 18 and amid intense competition for places, with fellow wonderkid Kendry Paez set to arrive at the same time.

      ‘We’re going to do a lot of great things together’

      But just how will he fit in given the wealth of attacking talent already at Stamford Bridge? A right-winger who is capable of operating as a No.10, Estevao is going to be competing for minutes with Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho AND Christopher Nkunku.

      According to his agent, Andre Cury, Chelsea sold the idea of him playing as an attacking midfielder. “He can adapt to any style of play,” he said. “Chelsea is a club that sees Estevao playing as a No.10. For us that is important. He can develop even more playing in the middle.”

      From Estevao’s perspective, co-existing with the likes of Palmer will not be problematic – it’s something he’s relishing. Indeed, they have already had interactions online after the teenager imitated the England international’s ‘cold’ celebration following his first goal since signing for Chelsea.

      Getty“When I signed for Chelsea, the next day I scored a goal and celebrated like Palmer,” Estevao told The Guardian. “His celebration was trendy, very popular. We talked on social media, I tagged him on Instagram, he called me a star, I said he’s a star too. He said we’re going to do a lot of great things together for Chelsea.”

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      Ready to deliver

      Six months out from his 18th birthday and the point where he can legally cross the Atlantic Ocean to join up with his new club, behind closed doors Chelsea must be delighted that Estevao is on the exact trajectory they would have hoped for as his move slowly approaches. Among the top scorers in his home country, a full international and getting better game by game, the Brazilian is proving that he possesses world-class potential and is capable of living up to the hype when so many others have fallen short.

      “That doesn’t worry me because each one is different,” he told The Guardian when asked about the possibility of underwhelming in west London like former highly-rated prospects Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah. “I don’t know the context or what they were like. I’m going to have to find my space and I’m going to have to give my all effort every day.”

      He added: “I decided for Chelsea because of their planning. I was very pleased with that. Not just for me, but also for my family. It was the club that believed in me and trusted in my work. I hope I can pay that back.”