Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca has claimed that Brazilian wonderkid Willian Estevão will be a top player for Chelsea in the years to come, Softfootball reports.
Estevão was only a second half substitute when Chelsea defeated Burnley 2-0 in the Premier League Match-day 12. The win took the Blues to second on the log with 23 points, six points behind league leaders Arsenal.
In an interview shared by football expert, Fabrizio Romano via his official X handle, Maresca spoke glowing about Estevão. He said:
Estevão is going to be an important player for this club in the future, no doubt. The most important thing is he has to enjoy football, be happy, and not think about being better than other players. He’s gonna be a top player.
Estevão is happy with his Chelsea journey so far despite not starting matches in recent times under Maresca. The 18-year-old is one of the highly rated prospects in world football and he chose Chelsea among other clubs after his services.
Before his move to Chelsea, Estêvão excelled for Palmeiras’ senior team, making 83 first-team appearances and winning the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A in 2023 and Campeonato Paulista in 2024.
Estêvão has been capped 11 times for the Brazil national team, scoring 5 goals, and became the youngest player to score a competitive goal for Brazil since Pelé in 1958.
Estêvão holds the record for most goal contributions by an under-17 player in a single Brasileirão season, surpassing Neymar’s record.
