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Estêvão Willian

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Almeida de Oliveira and the second or paternal family name is Gonçalves.
Estêvão
Estêvão with Palmeiras in 2024
Personal information
Full name Estêvão Willian Almeida de Oliveira Gonçalves[1]
Date of birth (2007-04-24) 24 April 2007 (age 18)[1]
Place of birth Franca, Brazil
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position Winger
Team information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 41
Youth career
2017–2021 Cruzeiro
2021–2024 Palmeiras
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2025 Palmeiras 62 (18)
2025– Chelsea 19 (2)
International career‡
2023 Brazil U17 5 (3)
2024– Brazil 11 (5)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:30, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 02:54, 19 November 2025 (UTC)

Estêvão Willian Almeida de Oliveira Gonçalves (born 24 April 2007), known as Estêvão (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [isˈte.vɐ̃w̃]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Chelsea and the Brazil national team. He is regarded as one of the best young players in the world.[3][4]

Early life

[edit]

Born in Franca, São Paulo, Estêvão began his youth career with the academy of Cruzeiro in 2017.[5] The following year, in 2018, at the age of 10, Estêvão signed a professional contract with Nike, making him the youngest Brazilian player to sign with the company, surpassing Real Madrid forward Rodrygo.[6]

Club career

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Palmeiras

[edit]
Estêvão playing for Palmeiras in 2025

Estêvão moved to the youth academy of Palmeiras on 6 May 2021, signing a trainee contract.[7] In the 2022 season, he helped the Palmeiras youth teams win the Campeonato Paulista Sub-17 Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Sub-17, Campeonato Paulista Sub-15 Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Sub-15, Copa do Brasil Sub-17 and Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-17.[8] In October 2023, Estêvão scored a hat-trick in the Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-17 final which ended in a 3–0 victory against São Paulo, helping his club to achieve their second consecutive title in the competition.[9]

On 7 December 2023, Estêvão made his professional debut for Palmeiras, coming off the bench in the 78th minute of a 1–1 draw away at Cruzeiro which sealed the Série A title win for Palmeiras.[10] At 16 years and 8 months, he became the club's fourth youngest player ever.[11]

Estêvão returned to the Palmeiras U-20 team for the Copinha 2024, and emerged as a standout in the tournament and an important player for his team.. On 12 April 2024, he scored his first goal for Palmeiras in a 3–1 win over Liverpool during the 2024 Copa Libertadores group stage, becoming the third player under 17 to achieve this feat following Ângelo Gabriel and Endrick.[12]

On 4 July 2025, Estêvão played his final game for Palmeiras in the quarter-finals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, facing the very team he was set to join, Chelsea. He scored the equaliser against his future club, though Palmeiras were ultimately eliminated.[13]

Chelsea

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On 22 June 2024, Premier League club Chelsea announced that Estêvão would join the club in the summer of 2025, on his eighteenth birthday.[14][15][16] The deal reportedly commanded a €34 million fee, plus €23 million in performances-based incentives.[16] Estêvão was unveiled 14 months later by Chelsea on 5 August 2025, the player opting to keep the number 41 which he wore during his time at Palmeiras.[17]

On 17 August 2025, he made his debut for Chelsea in a goalless draw against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge coming on as a substitute for Jamie Gittens.[18] On 22 August, he made his first start for Chelsea in a 5–1 win against West Ham United, providing an assist for Enzo Fernández.[19] On 4 October, he scored his first goal for Chelsea with a composed 95th-minute finish in a 2–1 victory over rivals Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, turning in Marc Cucurella's cross after fine interplay with Enzo Fernández. The goal, described by The Athletic as "a stunning late winner" that condemned the reigning champions to a third straight defeat, was hailed by Chelsea supporters as an early glimpse of his exceptional composure on the biggest stage.[20] Later that month, on 22 October, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal from a penalty in a 5–1 victory over Ajax,[21] becoming the youngest Chelsea player to score in the competition at 18 years and 181 days old.[22] Later that year, on 25 November, he scored a goal in a 3–0 victory over Barcelona, becoming the third teenager to score in each of his first three Champions League starts, only behind Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.[23]

International career

[edit]

Estêvão was first called up to represent the Brazil U17s in October 2022 for a set of friendlies in October 2022.[24] He was selected for the Brazil national team for the first time on 23 August 2024, to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification against Ecuador and the Paraguay.[25] He debuted on 6 September 2024 against Ecuador at the Estádio Couto Pereira, substituting Luiz Henrique in the 61st minute as Brazil won 1–0.[26]

On 4 September 2025, during 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, Estêvão scored his first international goal in Brazil's 3–0 win against Chile.[27]

Style of play

[edit]

Estêvão has been compared to Lionel Messi and Neymar.[28] He originally used the nickname Messinho as a homage to Messi, due to similarities in their respective playing styles.[29] He has also been praised for his maturity, his reading of the game and his decision making, which were all considered to be precocious.[30]

Career statistics

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Club

[edit]
As of match played 10 February 2026[31]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League State league[a] National cup[b] League cup[c] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Palmeiras 2023 Série A 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 1 0
2024 31 13 5 0 2 1 — 7[d] 1 0 0 45 15
2025 11 0 14 5 2 2 — 5[d] 4 5[e] 1 37 12
Total 43 13 19 5 4 3 — 12 5 5 1 83 27
Chelsea 2025–26 Premier League 19 2 — 1 0 4 1 7[f] 3 — 31 6
Career total 62 15 19 5 5 3 4 1 19 8 5 1 114 33
  1. ^ Includes Campeonato Paulista
  2. ^ Includes Copa do Brasil, FA Cup
  3. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  4. ^ a b Appearances in Copa Libertadores
  5. ^ Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

[edit]
As of match played 18 November 2025[32]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Brazil 2024 4 0
2025 7 5
Total 11 5
As of match played 18 November 2025
Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Estêvão goal.
List of international goals scored by Estêvão
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 4 September 2025 Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 6  Chile 1–0 3–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 10 October 2025 Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea 8  South Korea 1–0 5–0 Friendly
3 3–0
4 15 November 2025 Emirates Stadium, London, England 10  Senegal 1–0 2–0
5 18 November 2025 Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille, France 11  Tunisia 1–1 1–1

Honours

[edit]

Palmeiras

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b "FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ – Squad List: Palmeiras (BRA)" (PDF). FIFA. 4 July 2025. p. 25. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Estevao Willian". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  3. ^ "NXGN 2025: The 50 best teenage wonderkids in football". Goal.com. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Chelsea currently have best young player in the world, ranked above Lamine Yamal". Tribuna. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Joia da base do Cruzeiro, Estevão Willian deixa o clube e tem nome registrado no Palmeiras". ge. 6 May 2021. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Joia da base do Palmeiras, Estevão Willian renova contrato com empresa de material esportivo". Lance!. 9 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Estevão Willian, o Messinho, deixa Cruzeiro e assina com o Palmeiras – Superesportes". Superesportes. 6 May 2021. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  8. ^ "PSG sinaliza investida de mais de R$ 400 milhões por Endrick e Estêvão; Palmeiras quer mais". ge.globo.com (in Portuguese). 21 November 2022. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  9. ^ "¡Exhibición de 'Messinho': 'hat-trick' y título para el Palmeiras!" (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Palmeiras conquista segundo título brasileiro consecutivo e amplia hegemonia com 12 no total" [Palmeiras wins second consecutive Brazilian title and expands hegemony with 12 in total] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras. 7 December 2023. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Estêvão entra no ranking dos mais jovens a fazerem estreia profissional pelo Palmeiras; veja top 10" [Estêvão enters the ranking of the youngest to make professional debut for Palmeiras; see the top 10]. ESPN (in Brazilian Portuguese). 8 December 2023. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  12. ^ "IFFHS continental news: Copa Libertadores". IFFHS. 12 April 2024. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Palmeiras 1–2 Chelsea: Blues reach Club World Cup semi-final despite Estevao's goal against his new club". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Estevao Willian to join Chelsea". Chelsea F.C. 22 June 2024. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Chelsea seal Estevao Willian deal and open Aaron Anselmino talks". BBC Sport. 22 June 2024. Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  16. ^ a b Johnson, Simon; Burrows, Ben (22 June 2024). "Chelsea confirm deal to sign Estevao from Palmeiras". The Athletic. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 21 October 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Estêvão é anunciado oficialmente pelo Chelsea". CNN Brasil. 5 August 2025.
  18. ^ Kinsella, Nizaar. "Chelsea 0–0 Crystal Palace: Eberechi Eze strike ruled out in goalless draw". BBC Sport.
  19. ^ Sport, BBC (22 August 2025). "No Cole Palmer, No Problem". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  20. ^ Johnson, Simon; Jones, Andy (4 October 2025). "Chelsea 2 Liverpool 1: Estevao winner, Caicedo's stunner, third defeat in a row for Slot's side". The Athletic. The New York Times. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  21. ^ "Chelsea's teenage prodigies dismantle hapless Ajax in history-making win". The Independent. 22 October 2025.
  22. ^ "Estevão Breaks Chelsea Record Just Minutes After It Was Set". beIN SPORTS. 22 October 2025.
  23. ^ "Estevao matches Mbappe and Haaland's feats as Chelsea thrash Barcelona 3–0". OneFootball. 25 November 2025.
  24. ^ "Palmeiras tem três jogadores convocados para a Seleção Brasileira". 19 October 2022. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  25. ^ "Convocados da Seleção: veja lista de Dorival Júnior para jogos contra Equador e Paraguai" [Seleção squad: see Dorival Júnior's list for games against Ecuador and Paraguay] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge.globo.com. 23 August 2024. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  26. ^ "Brazil v Ecuador game report". ESPN. 6 September 2024.
  27. ^ "Brazil 3–0 Chile: Paqueta, Estevao and Guimaraes score win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  28. ^ "Chelsea: Estevao Willian has been compared to Neymar and Lionel Messi". BBC Sport. 23 June 2024.
  29. ^ ""My dream is to be like Messi and play for Barcelona"". www.besoccer.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  30. ^ Davis, Krishan (16 February 2024). "Estevao Willian: The 'out-of-this-world' wonderkid trying to shake the nickname 'Messinho' – chased by Europe's elite but dreaming of Barcelona". Goal.com.
  31. ^ Estêvão Willian at Soccerway. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  32. ^ "Estêvão". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  33. ^ "Palmeiras iguala feito do Palestra Itália e chega ao tricampeonato estadual" [Palmeiras matches the achievement of Palestra Itália and reaches the state championship three-peat] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Federação Paulista de Futebol. 7 April 2024. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Seleção do Brasileirão 2024: com domínio do Botafogo, veja premiados". GloboEsporte (in Portuguese). 8 December 2024.
  35. ^ "Prêmio ESPN Bola de Prata Aposta Ganha: Botafogo domina, mas Estêvão faz história e leva Bola de Ouro; veja a seleção do Brasileirão". ESPN Brasil (in Portuguese). 9 December 2024. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  36. ^ "Palmeiras tem maioria no Troféu Mesa Redonda; Estêvão é craque e revelação". UOL Esporte (in Portuguese). 9 December 2024.
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