This is offered last week chelsea‘S estevao A glimpse into the often unforgiving journey to the top of the game.
Last Tuesday, the 18-year-old Brazil forward stunned everyone with a spectacular goal in a brilliant collective display to defeat Chelsea. barcelona The night they won 3-0 at Stamford Bridge uefa champions league credit. Five days later, he was substituted at halftime in a 1–1 draw. Premier League leaders armory Touched the ball only 17 times and missed two good shooting opportunities.
Welcome to the incredible world of elite sports. The inconsistency of youth is part of the reason why Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca and his staff have taken a cautious approach with Estevao, who is widely regarded as one of the most talented wingers to emerge from South America in years but is still early in his career at the highest level.
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He has long been destined for greatness in the minds of many expert observers. brazil boss carlo ancelotti confirmed on monday Estevao was highly likely to be part of the 2026 World Cup squad, despite the Arsenal game being his ninth start for Chelsea since joining from Palmeiras for an initial £29 million move in the summer.
Here’s how Chelsea have managed their first few months in England, and the best is surely yet to come.
Even before his first day at Chelsea’s Cobham training base, Estevao had impressed his new teammates. His final game for Palmeiras was on 5 July against the Blues at the FIFA Club World Cup in Philadelphia. Chelsea won 2–1, but Estevao’s second-half equalizing goal made their job difficult, as he collected the ball in the box and headed wide. levi colville Before firing over the crossbar from an extremely tight angle.
cole palmerwho sought out Estevao after the final whistle at Lincoln Financial Field, later said: “I just said ‘We’re looking forward to meeting you’ but he couldn’t understand a word I said. When he comes to England, people need to give him time. He needs to adjust to the culture and the language. He’s still only 18 but he’s got amazing quality.”
It was essentially a conundrum facing Maresca and Chelsea upon Estevao’s arrival: give a hugely promising talent playing time now, or prioritize his long-term development with a slow introduction.
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Enzo Maresca: Cole Palmer and Estevao excited to play together
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has revealed that Cole Palmer and Estevao are excited to play together.
They had already been waiting for a long time. Chelsea agreed a deal to sign Estevao in the summer of 2024 – worth an initial £29 million but potentially rising to £56 million if various add-ons are triggered – but FIFA rules allow him to move abroad until after his 18th birthday. In the interim, Estévão made 83 appearances for Palmeiras and earned a place in the senior Brazil team, making five appearances in total.
The language barrier that Palmer mentioned was an obvious place to start. Sources told ESPN that Estevao was immediately placed on a program of three English lessons a week, where the first team’s schedule would allow. He was also given an individually tailored gym schedule to help him adapt to the physicality of English football. Sources have also confirmed that Chelsea have devised training exercises to aid that adaptation, with players encouraged to bump into each other while running to improve their balance.
Estévão’s family moved with him to Surrey, where the Cobham training ground is located, and the club also sought to make him comfortable in the first-team dressing room, giving him a place between two other Brazilians, joao pedro And andrey santos,
Sources say Maresca did not want to overexpose Estévão in the early weeks of the season, but only three wins from their opening eight matches in all competitions increased scrutiny of the team and suggested a possible hangover from winning the Club World Cup.
Estévão made his first start in the Premier League in Chelsea’s second game of the season in a 5–1 rout. west ham united in which he provided good assistance Enzo FernandezHe may have been sacrificed after just six minutes Manchester United as a goalkeeper robert sanchez He was sent off early in a 2–1 defeat at Old Trafford in September, but his cameo appearance was becoming difficult to ignore.
Things went to another level in the 2-1 win liverpool On 4 October. His 95th-minute winner was a simple finish, but it caused pandemonium at Stamford Bridge, so much so that Maresca was shown a red card for sprinting along the touchline to celebrate with his players. Scored his first Champions League goal on his debut – from the penalty spot in a 5–1 win. ajax – He became Chelsea’s youngest-ever scorer in the competition, a feat he achieved when he netted against Qarabag in early November.
The statistics point to them being asked to change their game. Maresca’s tactical style thrives on having wingers succeed in one-versus-one situations – incidentally, this is probably why Chelsea have spent so heavily on this area of the team – and Estevao’s numbers are promising in this regard: in 23 appearances with Palmeiras, his take-on success was 33.1%. With 18 appearances for Chelsea, it is 40.3%.
It was certainly difficult for Barcelona to stop him. Cynics will point to their high defensive line and the fact that Barça played more than half the game with 10 players. ronald araujoHe received a red card in the 44th minute, but Estevao scored a brilliant second goal to give the home team a 3–0 win.
The battle lines were drawn with Estevão on one side and Barcelona on the other. Lamin Yamal On the other. There is no competition based on what each has already achieved in the sport – Yamal is a European Championship winner. spainThe two-time LaLiga champion and Ballon d’Or runner-up are all three months younger than Estevao. Still there was no match in those 90 minutes. chelsea went back mark cucurella Did a good job in eliminating the threat from his Spain teammate, while Estevao was a constant threat at the other end.
Sources told ESPN that Estevao’s performance caused a stir in the Barcelona dressing room. Several players including Brazil international RafinhaDiscussed his impact on the game with coach Hansi Flick and agreed that Estevao created problems for them that they were unable to solve.
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Raphinha: Lamine Yamal and Estevao will soon be world-class players
Barcelona forward Raphinha believes both Lamine Yamal and Estevao will become world-class players in the future.
It can be difficult to stop the hype train once it leaves the station, and Estevão has inevitably faced comparisons with the Brazilian giant. neymar From a very young age. When a reporter brought up Estévão’s goal against Barcelona, Maresca was quick to step in. Lionel Messi,
“Estevo needs to rest,” Maresca said. “She needs to enjoy, she needs [training] Session. He wants to play football. Him, Lamin, they’re so young, 18, that if you start talking about Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, I think it’s too much pressure for young boys like him. They need to enjoy themselves, get to the training ground, be happy, have a session. When you start comparing with Messi or Ronaldo, I think it’s too much for them.”
There was probably nothing he could say to stop calls for his inclusion against Arsenal five days later. Brazil legend Ronaldinho told Estevao on social media that Sunday’s game would be his “time to shine”, adding: “Be happy, play with joy and everything will be fine.”
It didn’t work that way. Arsenal, one of the best defensive teams in Europe, limited his effectiveness moises casadoA red card in the first half put Chelsea on the back foot.
This is an inconsistency that can come with puberty; His chances of creating an understanding with those around him have also been reduced due to injuries in Chelsea’s attacking department.
Sources say Chelsea believe they have a potential generational talent in Estevao, a name which means “crown” in Portuguese. After these first few months many in West London believe they are destined to wear it.
ESPN Brazil’s Bruno Andrade contributed to this report.
