Palmeiras’ young star, Estevao Willian, often referred to simply as Estevao, in June 2024.
Estevao is set to officially join Chelsea on July 1, 2025, following his 18th birthday, and is predicted to have a significant impact in west London.
Ronaldo, the celebrated Brazilian icon, believes that Estevao shares similarities with Yamal.
‘He’s a young player and very talented,’ Ronaldo told Ben Jacobs about Estevao.
‘He’s kind of like Lamine Yamal. He will soon be a very big star in football.
‘He’s very promising, and at just 17. I think he’ll play for Palmeiras at the Club World Cup then join Chelsea.’
Yamal rose through Barcelona’s academy, accumulating 13 goals and 20 assists in 70 appearances for the Catalan club thus far.
The 17-year-old, who shares the same age as Estevao, made a significant impact at Euro 2024, earning the title of Young Player of the Tournament and helping Spain secure the trophy by defeating England in the final.
Yamal is considered one of the top young football talents globally and received the Kopa Trophy in 2024, awarded annually to the best U21 player in the world.
Conversely, Chelsea’s Estevao has played 46 senior matches for Palmeiras, scoring 15 goals and providing 10 assists.
This year, Estevao has also made his debut for the Brazilian national team, earning four caps.
Earlier this season, Estevao, who has drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi and Neymar, mentioned that Chelsea star Cole Palmer has already reached out to him ahead of their future collaboration at Stamford Bridge.
‘When I signed for Chelsea, the next day I scored a goal and celebrated like Palmer,’ Estevao said.
‘His celebration was trendy, very popular. We talked on social media, I tagged him on Instagram.
‘He called me a star, I said he’s a star too. He said we’re going to do a lot of great things together for Chelsea.’
