The 18-year-old is demonstrating that he's ready for the step up, and his new club must involve him as soon as possible next season
Thrust into the heat of the spotlight at the Club World Cup, Estevao Willian has not wilted as he lives up to the hype around him ahead of his highly-anticipated £56 million ($71m) transfer to Chelsea being completed next month. In his swansong for current employers Palmeiras, the teenager has been a standout performer.
Estevao collected his second player of the match award in as many games at the tournament on Thursday, helping his side to a 2-0 victory over Al Ahly that should secure passage to the knockout stages. That came after he had shown his considerable potential in a creditable draw with Portuguese giants Porto.
It's becoming increasingly clear that his new club must find a way to involve him in the team as soon as possible after his long-awaited arrival, and that poses a number of challenges for head coach Enzo Maresca.
GettyCatching the eye
Having so far developed out of the spotlight in Brazil, sporadically generating excitement through viral clips of his sensational exploits on social media, all eyes have been on Estevao in Palmeiras' first two group stage games at the Club World Cup – and so far he hasn't disappointed, claiming back-to-back player of the match awards.
In the goalless draw with Porto – established Champions League regulars in Europe – the 18-year-old's extensive repertoire of flicks and tricks was on full display, while he whipped a left-footed shot narrowly wide and probably should have scored when he ghosted in at the back post to meet a cut-back, but the goalkeeper was able to keep his tame effort out.
He was similarly spritely in the blistering New Jersey heat against Al Ahly, with his best moment coming when he cut in from the right flank, accelerated away from two defenders and kept his composure to ping a low effort just wide of the post. Later, having switched to the left, the teenager skipped away from three markers and got to the byline, but his cross was snuffed out.
In both clashes it has been encouraging to see him engage in physical battles, too, winning all his aerial duels against Al Ahly and half of four on the ground despite his slight frame.
AdvertisementGettyRoom for improvement
However, Estevao would be the first to admit that he hasn't shown his full potential as yet; as some early sceptics have keenly pointed out, he has been far from perfect – even if he has done his reputation no harm at the tournament so far.
The attacker's decision-making has been called into question, as he occasionally opted for another flick or trick rather than something simple and more effective. In the Porto game, his passing accuracy was 72%, and that figure dropped even lower against Al Ahly to 67%, with his end product clearly lacking in certain forward positions.
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Stamina, too, will be a concern in the short-term, with Estevao fading in both games – although that can certainly be attributed in part to the sweltering temperatures in the United States, with Palmeiras' second group match played in 31C heat and suspended for 40 minutes as a result of the 'severe weather'. You won't get those conditions in the Premier League too often.
GettyConsistency is key
Cutting through the obvious hype around Estevao and the rival backlash that has provoked, the most exciting and undeniable thing about watching him play is his determination to make things happen in every match and every action – an attribute he shares with soon-to-be team-mate Cole Palmer.
Chelsea have dearly lacked that kind of consistent threat and confidence in attacking areas of late, with striker Nicolas Jackson and wingers Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho all enduring mercurial campaigns and failing to set the world alight.
In Brazil, meanwhile, Estevao finished the April-to-December 2024 season as the most productive player in the Brasileirao, emerging as the Verdao's talisman at just 17 years of age by scoring 13 goals and laying on nine more in 31 appearances in what was still his breakthrough campaign.
While his numbers have been more modest in the league in 2025, he has continued in the same vein. The teenager lit up the Copa Libertadores, Copa do Brasil and Campeonata Paulista (11 goals, five assists in 32 appearances in all competitions), sporadically popping into our consciousness in Europe with a string of outrageous individual efforts.
It is that ability to perform on a consistent basis, even if you aren't troubling the scoreboard, that sets truly world-class players apart from the rest, and that is something Estevao has demonstrated so far at the Club World Cup.
Getty Images SportThe Palmer problem
It's therefore looking increasingly like Chelsea head coach Maresca will need to find a way to involve Estevao immediately when he moves to west London after the Club World Cup, but the question is how and where?
The player's agent, Andre Cury, has previously intimated that his client chose Chelsea over the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain because they were given assurances that Estevao would be given the opportunity to play in the No.10 role. The problem is, of course, that is Palmer's position.
There is simply no way that Chelsea's current talisman will be dislodged, so Maresca must work out a way for them to work in tandem. For what it's worth, Palmer has said in the past that he actually prefers to play off the wing and drift inside – so perhaps that is a potential solution.
Whatever happens, Palmer is relishing playing alongside the prodigious teenager, who playfully copied his 'cold' celebration after his move to Stamford Bridge was confirmed. "He’s a really good player. He doesn’t speak much English, so it was a case of Google Translate, but I’ve had a few conversations with him saying I’m looking forward to seeing him and playing with him," the England international told the .
In all likelihood, Estavao will continue in the role he has shone in so far in his budding career: as a roaming right-winger. And that could help solve a dilemma for the head coach.
