Estevao Shows Superstar Potential Against Chelsea in Final Game for Palmeiras | OneFootball

Watching Chelsea book a trip to the Club World Cup semifinals wasn’t the only reason Blues fans were tuning in for the clash vs. Palmeiras.

The quarterfinals game also saw future Chelsea winger Estêvão Willian face off against the players he’ll call teammates in a matter of weeks.

There’s been plenty of expectation surrounding the arrival to Stamford Bridge of the 18-year-old Brazilian ever since Chelsea acquired the player for a reported £29 million ($37 million at the time) plus add-ons a little over a year ago.

As fate would have it, Estêvão’s final game for his childhood club ended up being against... his future club.

Here'’s how Estêvão did against Chelsea in the Club World Cup quarterfinals.

Estêvão Willian vs. Chelsea

Estêvão played the entire game against Chelsea in a performance that certainly had more ups than downs.

The 18-year-old winger battled against Marc Cucurella for much of the first half. The Spaniard greeted his future teammate with a strong tackle early that seemed to anger him, and Estêvão released said anger with hard fouls against Levi Colwill and Christopher Nkunku.

Chelsea’s strong grasp on possession made it hard for Estêvão to influence the game, but that would all change in the second half.

The Brazilian looked threatening straight out of the tunnel as Palmeiras looked revitalized after the break. Then, came the moment of magic. Eight minutes into the second half, Estêvão beat Colwill to a low cross, his first touch took him towards the byline, leaving him with no angle to shoot, or so it appeared. The youngster didn’t even look up as he fired a near-post rocket with his weak-foot that slammed the crossbar and bounced in for Palmeiras’ equalizer.

Chelsea fans might’ve been shocked to see Estêvão celebrate so passionately as Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign was put at risk, but as the dust settled and Chelsea defeated Palmeiras, even they’ll say it was a terrific finish.

Though Estêvão’s potential was on full display, you can also tell he’s a raw talent, far from the finished product. His 41 touches and 18 pass attempts were the least of any outfield player that started the match and he also lost the most duels of any player with nine. Still, his quality was obvious as he looked unfazed by the stage, constantly trying to make things happen in the final third. FotMob gave him a match rating of 7, tied for the highest of any Verdão player.

“He is very good, a huge talent, fantastic player. The only thing is when you come from South America or another part of the world is that you need to adapt. We are going to help him to adapt, be happy and enjoy football. We have no doubt he will be an important player for Chelsea,” said Enzo Maresca after the match.

Estêvão was visibly emotional after the final whistle, having played his final game for his childhood club. Yet, he was quickly surrounded by a number of his future teammates, who now have witnessed his potential first-hand.

Estêvão Bids Farewell to Palmeiras

A year after his transfer became official, the São Paolo native bids farewell to his childhood club. Since making his professional debut for El Verdão on Dec. 7, 2023, Estêvão appeared in 83 games, scored 27 goals and tallied 15 assists.

He leaves as Palmeiras’ third most expensive sale, only behind Real Madrid’s Endrick and Manchester City’s Vitor Reis.