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Six months later, the left-footed right winger was sold to Chelsea in a deal that could become the most expensive transfer ever completed by a Brazilian club: £38m up front, potentially rising to £52m with add-ons.

He’d have to wait a year before joining his new club, until he’d turned 18 – this summer’s Club World Cup in the United States was his last dance for Palmeiras.

Now, Stamford Bridge is the home of Brazil’s most electrifying export since Neymar lit up the late 2000s – yes, more electrifying in the Brasilerao than both Endrick and Vinicius Junior.

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Estevao was a kid who fell in love with the game at four, nutmegged people in church aisles for fun, and shunned the tag of ‘Messinho’ to carve out his own identity. Today he’s Chelsea’s new star, and ready to tell FourFourTwo his story.

Estevao: “Long before I accepted Chelsea’s offer, I told my parents I wanted to learn English”

Estevao Willian of Palmeiras runs with the ball at the Club World Cup (Image credit: Action Plus/Shutterstock)

It doesn’t take long for Estevao to reveal the driven, grounded ambition that those closest to him always mention. When FFT chats to him in Portuguese and asks about his English language skills, his response is cool-headed and clear. His maturity belies his age.

“Long before I accepted Chelsea’s offer, I told my parents I wanted to learn English,” he says. “Even though I didn’t know I’d end up in England, I knew it was a skill I’d need in the future.” He started learning 18 months ago. As 2025 kicked in, so did the urgency – lessons every weekday, between games and training. “Sometimes, it’s been hard to fit them in with the schedule,” he admits. “I prefer face to face, but I’ve done them online if I’ve had to.”

I want to see everything. I’m into football heritage. England lives and breathes it, I want to soak all of it in

Estevao

In September 2024, just nine months after his pro debut with Palmeiras, Estevao became the fifth youngest player ever to pull on a shirt for Brazil’s senior team, coming off the bench in a 1-0 victory over Ecuador during World Cup qualifying.

Only Pele, Edu, Coutinho – both were team-mates of the King himself – and Endrick did it earlier. Not bad company to keep. But Estevao already had his eyes set on another new environment.

“I want to see everything,” he says. “I’m into football heritage. England lives and breathes it, I want to soak all of it in.” He was getting top-tier advice, even before touching down at Heathrow. Who better to big up Chelsea than a fellow Brazilian and Stamford Bridge legend – the last man from his country to lift the Champions League for the club?

Estevao celebrates his first Premier League goal (Image credit: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

“I had a chat with Thiago Silva after we played Fluminense at home in our final Brasileirao match,” Estevao says. “He only had great things to say about the club, the people and the whole experience. He said that it will be incredible for me.” That match ended in a 1-0 defeat, confirming Palmeiras as runners-up – six points behind champions Botafogo, who, for once, didn’t bottle the league title.

Estevao didn’t match Endrick’s heroics in a title race, but he did knock a certain Neymar off his perch. With 13 goals and nine assists, he set a new benchmark of the most goal contributions posted by a 17-year-old in the Brasileirao, beating the Santos starlet’s tally of 10 goals and six assists in 2009.

He didn’t leave empty-handed either. While the main trophy slipped away, the individual honours came flooding in. He was named best newcomer by the Brazilian FA, also doing the double at the prestigious Bola de Prata awards, scooping the same accolade, plus the big one: the Bola de Ouro for best player in the league. Not bad for your first full season in the top flight.

It wasn’t just Estevao counting down the days until his big move to London. At Cobham, Reece James and Cole Palmer rolled out the virtual welcome mat, reaching out to let the youngster know he has a home waiting for him. It was more than just DMs, too – the bond with Palmer is already taking shape. Days after signing for Chelsea, Estevao fired home in a 3-1 win over Juventude… and celebrated by busting out Palmer’s trademark “cold” pose. A fitting way to launch a bromance.

“After I signed for Chelsea, that celebration came to mind,” the young Brazilian says. “Then Palmer saw that and messaged me, saying he couldn’t wait for us to play together. It was in British English – a bit tricky for me – so I had to get some help from the translator app! I’m not going to lie, I used it to message him back, too!”

Palmer followed up later, checking whether Estevao would visit the club before finally linking up with the squad this summer. “I didn’t get the chance,” he says. “But it meant a lot. You could tell they were excited I was coming and they were already waiting for me.”

As it turned out, Estevao’s last game for Palmeiras would be against Chelsea, in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup – his side lost 2-1, but the winger scored and was man of the match.

The world is only just waking up to Estevao

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 15: Estêvão of SE Palmeiras (2nd L) and Iván Marcano of FC Porto (R) fight for possession during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group A match between SE Palmeiras and FC Porto at MetLife Stadium on June 15, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Richard Callis/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images) (Image credit: Getty Images)

Estevao might stand at just 5ft 7in with a lean frame, but his game packs serious punch. He’s a wizard with the ball at his feet, effortlessly dancing past defenders and whipping in thunderous strikes from just about anywhere he fancies. Whether it’s curling one from the edge of the box or letting fly from long range, his left foot is something else. The Premier League is known for its muscle, but Estevao isn’t fazed.

“Of course, I know I’ll need to build a stronger, more intense physical presence at some point, but I’m not overly worried about it,” he says.

“There will be a thorough process to achieve that, but I know what I bring to the pitch, my qualities, my ability to influence a game. Strength isn’t always the deciding factor. I really believe in my potential.”

This kid is different from everything I have ever seen.

Abel Ferreira

Why would he doubt himself? Dozens of clubs had their eyes on him from the start, barely able to believe what this skinny kid was doing on the pitch. Estevao’s talent turned heads long before he turned pro. Now it’s just the rest of the world catching up.

Abel Ferreira is the architect behind Palmeiras’ golden era. The Portuguese coach – frequently compared to Jose Mourinho, not just for his passport, but for his love of a press-conference narrative – has racked up 10 trophies in five years.

That’s practically a dynasty by Brazilian standards, where managers are lucky to last more than six months. Ferreira’s extensive haul has included back-to-back league titles, consecutive Copa Libertadores crowns and glory in the Copa do Brasil.

Estevao crosses the ball whilst under pressure from Piero Hincapie of Ecuador (Image credit: Getty Images)

In May 2024, Ferreira paused for a moment – the kind of pause that usually signals a coach holding back praise to keep a young talent grounded. But Estevao had just stolen the show again, bagging a late winner in a cup clash against Botafogo-SP, lighting up the pitch with another dazzling display. His manager couldn’t hold it in.

“This kid is different from everything I have ever seen,” Ferreira said. “He attacks, he defends and he’s never afraid to take responsibility.”

The young star’s fearless playing style is nothing short of mesmerising. He’ll lose the ball or drag a shot wide, but moments later, he’s demanding the ball back again, trying something new, taking another risk. It’s not just that he isn’t afraid to make mistakes. It’s as if mistakes don’t register at all.

I ended up being better than the other boys. Some parents didn’t take too kindly to that!

Estevao

“That comes from my dad,” Estevao says now. “He’s always told me, ‘Never stop being yourself’. If I make a mistake during play, I don’t have time to dwell on it. You’ve only got seconds to react, because at any moment, the ball could be at your feet again and you’ve got to be ready to do something with it.”

“My dad has always hammered that idea into me – it’s just about staying switched on and trusting your instincts. If there’s space to take a man on, I’ll take him on. If the better option is to pass, I’ll pass. I’ll do what I know and what I’ve been trained to do. I know what I’m capable of. I know what I’ve got inside me. That’s why mistakes don’t get to me. I trust in what I believe, and I’ll keep trying until it comes off.”

Born in Franca, a city some 250 miles inland from Sao Paulo, better known for basketball and shoe factories than footballing prodigies, Estevao grew up in a deeply religious household. His father, Ivo Goncalves, is an evangelical pastor. Faith still plays a central role in his life, since he often reads the Bible in the dressing room before matches and celebrates wins by posting scripture passages on Instagram.

Estevao looks on prior to during the Club World Cup games against Al Ahly (Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

It was Ivo, a former goalkeeper, who introduced him to the game, taking his football-obsessed son along to varzea matches, the grassroots games that dot Brazil’s amateur scene.

From then on, Estevao rarely went anywhere without a ball at his feet – not even to his dad’s church. “I would imagine that I was playing in a stadium,” he says. “I’d dribble past whatever was in front of me. I used bottles as goalposts, smashed shots off the walls – I even broke a clock! That kind of childhood imagination is incredible.”

Estevao took his first steps in the game at a football school in Franca called Tok de Bola. It didn’t take long for the youngster to become a sensation. Soon, crowds were showing up not just to watch their own kids, but to see him. His talent was so far beyond his years that he regularly played and dominated matches against older boys.

His impact in local tournaments sparked complaints from rival parents, who claimed Tok de Bola were cheating by fielding Estevao. To keep the peace, coaches often played him in the first half, where he’d usually run riot, before subbing him off to level the playing field.

A Nike athlete at 10 years old

Estevao poses for a photo during the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023 (Image credit: Getty Images)

“I loved scoring goals! That’s what made me happiest as a kid,” he says. “Whether I liked it or not, I ended up being better than the other boys. Even I could see the difference. Some of the parents didn’t take too kindly to that!”

Word of the young prodigy soon spread. Scouts from several Sao Paulo clubs made the trip to see what all the fuss was about, but it was Cruzeiro who moved fastest. At just eight years old, Estevao was off to Belo Horizonte. Within two years, he was a Nike athlete and one of the most talked-about academy prospects in Brazil.

Nike came calling in 2016, after Estevao lit up the Go Cup, one of the country’s most prestigious youth tournaments, while playing for Cruzeiro. Estevao introduced himself to a national audience in spectacular fashion.

In my head, I just thought I’d be getting free boots every month. I had no idea how big Nike was globally.

Estevao

“I only knew about Nike because of Neymar,” Estevao says. “He was my idol growing up, and he wore Nike boots when he played for Santos. But I was too young to really understand what signing with Nike actually meant. In my head, I just thought I’d be getting free boots every month. I had no idea how big the brand was globally. When they told me I’d be wearing the same boots as Neymar, I was over the moon.”

If the teenage sensation once idolised Neymar, his sweet left foot and the No.10 shirt at Cruzeiro quickly earned him a nickname inspired by a rival legend: Messinho, ‘Little Messi’. Estevao was never a fan of the comparison though and worked hard to shed it.

“I don’t remember who came up with it, but it just caught on straight away,” he says. “Neither I nor my family ever liked it much. Sometimes a nickname like that becomes a burden you didn’t ask for. You just want to play football, to do what you love – but that kind of label adds a pressure that’s not yours. Thankfully, I was able to leave it behind when I moved to Palmeiras.”

Palmeiras had tracked Estevao since his early days tormenting defenders – and opposition parents – in Franca, but they couldn’t match Cruzeiro’s offer.

He and his dad were invited to pay a visit to the club, but they decided to sign for the Belo Horizonte giants instead. Still, academy chief Joao Paulo Sampaio stayed in touch with his father, keeping the door firmly open. Years later, when Cruzeiro collapsed into chaos, drowning in debt and scandal, the family, left without support, walked away.

Sampaio was ready and waiting. In his decade at the helm of Palmeiras’ academy, the club have gone from producing little of note to becoming arguably the most prolific talent factory in the Americas. Once lagging behind their domestic rivals, Palmeiras now lead the pack, and the numbers speak for themselves.

Gabriel Jesus moved to Manchester City for £27m, followed by Endrick’s switch to Real Madrid for an initial £30m, with the potential to pass £50m with add-ons. Then came Danilo to Nottingham Forest for £16m, Luis Guilherme to West Ham for £25m and Estevao to Chelsea for up to £52m. In the winter, Vitor Reis joined Manchester City for £29.6m, a new record price for a centre-back from a Brazilian club.

Estevao celebrates scoring the opening goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup against Ecuador (Image credit: Getty Images)

If there’s anyone qualified to break down Estevao’s game, it’s Sampaio, the man behind Palmeiras’ golden generation and one of Brazil’s sharpest eyes for youth talent. “He’s got pure Brazilian DNA,” Sampaio says. “Flair, dribbling, joy, that spark of magic. His first touch doesn’t just control the ball, it takes the defender out of the picture. But there’s real end product too. He’s not just about putting on a show, his numbers are always there. With that kind of talent, he was already playing for our under-20s at just 15.

“At Palmeiras, we teach our players to master three positions. Estevao can play off the right, the left or as a No.10. One of his standout performances came in the Under-17 Brasileirao final against Sao Paulo. He played as a No.10 and scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win, just a couple of months before making his professional debut. Sooner or later, players like Estevao force their way into any team. I’ve no doubt Chelsea fans will fall for him, and it won’t take long.”

From the church aisles of Franca to the roar of Stamford Bridge, England is now home to a wonderkid who might define a generation. With the swagger of a street baller and the stats to silence cynics, he’s got everything to light up the Premier League. The relief for Enzo Maresca? At least this time, he won’t have to sub him off at half-time to stop the other parents complaining.