The Brazilian will complete his £56 million ($73m) move to Stamford Bridge in the summer after a record-breaking year at Palmeiras
When it comes to pre-agreed transfers, there is always the risk that things could go awry in the intervening period – goals drying up, injuries, form falling off a cliff, etcetera. For now, at least, that is certainly not the case for Estevao Willian.
The Brazilian will be heading to Chelsea next summer, after the Blues saw off some serious competition to sign the prodigious Palmeiras attacker in June for a massive £56 million ($73m). For the time being, it looks like an investment that will be handsomely rewarded.
Still six months shy of his 18th birthday and the point where he can legally join up with his new club, Estevao has dazzled in Brazil in the 2024 season; blessed with generational dribbling ability, vision and an eye for goal, he has already made history and will have more in his sights.
“My biggest dream is to be the best player in the world," he said this month. "That’s my dream. One day I’ll be among the best. But I’m not going to promise or project that I’ll achieve this in a few years. It’ll come naturally."
Chelsea, then, have a potentially world-class talent on their hands – this is how he's been getting on…
Getty/GOALRecord-breaker
Estevao has intermittently made global headlines since his transfer to Chelsea was confirmed, as his progress at Palmeiras is keenly tracked by both followers of the Blues and Brazilian football enthusiasts, and he reached a significant milestone over the weekend.
Although his 18th birthday in April is still six months away, the teenager eclipsed one of his idols by becoming the most productive under-17 player in Brazil's Serie A since the turn of the century – a record previously held by former wonderkid, Neymar.
The Palmeiras starlet moved onto 18 league goal contributions for the season as he scored and assisted in the 5-3 defeat of Juventude, squeezing the ball home from close range to open the scoring before playing a simple square ball on the edge of the box as the Verdao went 2-1 up.
Neymar had posted a combined 16 with Santos in 2009, and he was among the first to congratulate his protege, writing on Instagram: "Congratulations [Estevao] for the broken record. May you continue to shine and enchant everyone with your football. Fly."
AdvertisementAFPGunning for more
That milestone has come amid the best form of Estevao's budding career to date. The 17-year-old has made nine goal contributions in his last six appearances either side of a hamstring issue in September, including two goals and two assists in a single game against Cuiaba, and he will already have more history in his sights.
The Serie A season runs from April to December, and with just eight games to go the youngster has moved up to joint-second in the scoring charts alongside 37-year-old Hulk (yes, that Hulk) on 10 goals, with some stunning strikes among them. Flamengo striker Pedro currently occupies No.1 spot with 11, but he has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a knee injury.
As such, Estevao has the opportunity to become the youngest top scorer in the of Brazil's top flight in the weeks that remain. Indeed, there has never been an under the age of 18; the record is currently held by Keirrison, who was 19 when he finished top of the charts with Coritiba in 2008, and even before the unification of the Brasilerao the likes of Pele did not match the feat in the 1960s.
GettySenior international already
With a burgeoning reputation, Estevao is garnering more and more attention in his football-crazed home country. "Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar. You watch him and you fall in love," the head of Palmeiras' academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, told the recently.
The spotlight intensified in late August, as he was called up to the senior Brazil squad for the first time for the September internationals against Ecuador and Paraguay, sparking emotional celebrations with his family.
Estevao emerged from the bench shortly after the hour mark against the former to make his international debut – a hugely significant moment despite his career being in it's infancy. In a quietly composed half-hour, the teenager completed 12 of 12 passes to help his team to a 1-0 victory. He started on the bench again against Paraguay a few days later, only being afforded a four-minute cameo in a defeat by the same scoreline.
GettyStill learning – literally
Despite his meteoric rise, football is not all-consuming for young Estevao, who is remarkably still having to focus on his studies on the side, just in case that football career somehow goes awry.
"School is the rest of my day. It’s not easy,” he told earlier in October. "There are some very difficult subjects. Physics is the hardest. It’s very difficult to remember the formulas, how to work it out."
Despite preparing to make the huge leap to the Premier League, the Brazilian has no plans to abandon his schoolwork – with that commitment a sign of his maturity. "I will study in London as well," Estevao says. "But I will continue at the same school, I will continue studying online, like nowadays."