Chelsea have been quite active in the summer transfer window as they have signed some extremely talented young players.
One such player has to be Palmeiras’ star player Estevao Willian, who will move to Stamford Bridge after the ongoing Club World Cup.
The Blues forked out €34 million (£30m/$40m) fee plus €23m (£20m/$27m) in bonuses for the highly rated 18-year-old in 2024.
Estevao is easily one of the top talents to come out of Brazil this summer. He has been a standout player for Palmeiras over the years and has continued that form in the Club World Cup.
The young winger has big dreams as he feels he could be a Ballon d’Or contender in a few years. He also nominates a couple of players with whom he would like to share the podium.
The last couple of seasons have seen the rise of Lamine Yamal at Barcelona. The Spanish star has been a standout player for club and country already. So he is expected to rule world football for some years.
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Similarly, Franco Mastantuono is another year tipped to reach the top as he begins his journey with Real Madrid. The young Argentine has the skillset to flourish in the Spanish capital.
Estevao has followed both their journeys and believes that he could compete with them as he embarks on a new journey into Europe with Chelsea.
“[Yamal] is a fantastic young man, a great player who had an incredible season. I followed him closely in the Champions League, and I was really rooting for him and Raphinha, especially. Mastantuono is also a great player who’s been growing a lot. I’ve also followed his games since he’s been playing in South America. He has incredible potential,” Estevao told AS in an interaction.
When asked about the possibility of battling the duo for the Ballon d’Or, Estevao said, “I sincerely hope so. We’re all the same age, and it would be incredible and very interesting to find ourselves in that situation.”
What did Estevao say about his playing style?
Estevao has drawn comparisons with Neymar as he hails from Brazil, but he was given the nickname Messinho for his similar playing style to Lionel Messi.
“I see myself more as having a style similar to Messi’s, a person who just wants to play football and have a family, which is the most important thing to me.”
The teenager has been exceptional for Palmeiras at the Club World Cup as he guided them to the top of Group A, finishing over teams like Inter Miami, FC Porto and Al-Ahly.
They also edged past Botafogo in the round of 16 to progress to the quarterfinal against Chelsea on Friday, July 4, in Philadelphia.
All eyes will be on Estevao as he will go up against his new team in which could be his last game for Palmeiras if the Blues secure a win.
