Chelsea wonderkid Estevao Willian, who continues to make an impressive contribution during a productive debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, has been urged to replicate a key quality that Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal possesses. The Brazilian teenager is being tipped to reach the very top after making an immediate impact in English football, with there still plenty of potential for him to unlock.
Messinho has settled quickly at Stamford Bridge
Estevao, who is sometimes known as ‘Messinho’ (Little Messi) in his homeland, has adjusted seamlessly to the demands of life in west London. He linked up with the Premier League heavyweights in the summer of 2025 having faced Chelsea at the FIFA World Cup. A transfer from Palmeiras was completed after turning 18.
Many have struggled down the years to master top-flight competition in England, with the pace and physicality of the game proving too much for some. Estevao has, however, been putting his creativity and work rate to good use. A first competitive goal for the Blues came his way in dramatic circumstances when netting a 95th-minute winner in Chelsea’s clash with reigning Premier League champions Liverpool.
AdvertisementGetty/GOALPoyet sets Estevao a Yamal-related challenge
Former Blues midfielder Gus Poyet is among those to have been impressed by Estevao. Speaking in association with , the ex-Uruguay international told GOAL when asked if the Brazilian sensation can become the next South American superstar: “He has potential. He has got everything. I think he can be incredible and top, top, top class.
“Now he needs to do it all the time. Now we are talking about Lamine Yamal and when you are looking at him, it’s every game – every game doing something, even with the national team. When somebody does it at that level all the time, or most of the time, then you are there. He has got the potential to get there. Now he needs to do it all the time, which I hope is possible.”
Will teen sensation Estevao reach the top?
Poyet’s fellow former Blues star – Champions League-winning coach Roberto Di Matteo – previously told GOAL when asked how far Estevao can go: "Let’s not overwhelm him with pressure, but he’s going to be a top player! You can see that he is so advanced in his football development.
I saw him before the international break and he looks like a 15-year-old! You look at him and think ‘you are playing already?’ Amazing skills, technically, he’s fast, unpredictable, can go outside and inside. Very good attitude. He’s quite advanced for his age. Ancelotti loves him in the Brazil national team.
"He’s got a very good family around him as well, his parents have moved over with him. He’s got good management around him so I have no doubt that he’s going to grow and become a top player, a world top player."
GettyBrazilian wonderkid has surprised himself in England
The man himself is pleasantly surprised at how quickly he has settled with new employers, telling of that process: “It's happening very quickly, and I'm already getting a lot of opportunities there, more than I even expected at Chelsea. But I think it's the result of the hard work and dedication I've maintained in training.
“[Enzo] Maresca has a lot of confidence in me to play, even arriving in a new league, in a new country. I try to repay that on the field by giving my all. And this adaptation has been incredible. I thought it would take a little longer to adapt, because of the climate and the language. But, thank God, it's happening very quickly. I'm already getting used to the language well.”