Estevao Willian was at the heart of the action as Brazil cruised to a 4-0 win over India at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.
Chelsea must do everything in their power to keep Estevao Willian at Stamford Bridge. The 19-year-old winger, who the Blues signed from Palmeiras for £29m in May 2024, led Brazil to a 4-0 win over India in a friendly at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.
Estevao cut in from the right and switched to his left foot before slotting the ball past the keeper at the near post to open the scoring just before the half hour mark. Minutes later, the teenager helped Carlo Ancelotti’s side double their lead by taking on Pedro.
He cut through the opponent’s back line and delivered a superbly weighted pass between left-back and central midfielder into the path of his team-mate. Estevao was finally replaced midway through the second half and Breno Bidon came on for the last of 10 changes.
The Chelsea wonder has now averaged a goal or assist every 88 minutes for Brazil, scoring six goals and providing one assist in just 618 minutes. More than a year ago, he was the youngest player to score a goal Seleção in a competitive match since Pele in the 1958 World Cup.
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Estevao faced the same level of opposition when he played for the Blues with India, ranked 138th in the world by FIFA, but impressed and showed Xabi Alonso why he deserves a chance in the starting line-up, especially with Joao Pedro currently striking.
Estevao has not played more than 150 minutes in six games for the Blues so far this season, and four of those appearances have come from the bench in the Premier League, for just 23 minutes.
The other two were in the Carabao Cup, with Chelsea facing Luton Town and Leeds United in the second and third rounds respectively. Estevao showed promise, but was frustrated when asked to shoulder the workload in the final third against Daniel Farke’s side.
The Blues wonder was shut down at half-time and his replacement Cole Palmer came off the bench to inspire a comeback. Despite a slow start to life under his new manager, Estevao remains focused on helping Chelsea win silverware.
Speaking to ESPN in Brisbane, Australia at the start of the international break, he said: “I think every coach has his own style of play. Of course we work every day, every day I do my best and that’s what I do.
We have quality players at Chelsea, so I’m focusing on the things I can control. I try to do my best in training. I try to do my best when I get the chance; it goes from day to day. I try to take advantage of every opportunity I have, I try to manage everything I can, and I leave it in God’s hands, and I trust myself a lot.”
In early September, Alonso insisted he had ‘100’ trust in Estevao, despite his infrequent appearances in the early weeks of the campaign. The Chelsea manager told reporters: “I have 100 percent confidence in Este, because of his potential and because he is so young, he is adapting and learning quickly.
“It’s going to be a long season and players who have the desire and the hunger to prove and show that they’re ready for the challenge every day is what we want – and what we want to create here in the building.
“Este is part of that. He has a great attitude and mentality to prepare for every game and be ready for the team.”
football.london He understands that the higher-ups at Stamford Bridge continue to see Estevao as one of the few “untouchables” in the Chelsea squad. Despite Barcelona’s interest, the winger is not for sale… and rightly so!