Estêvão

Estêvão Willian Almeida de Oliveira Gonçalves (born 24 April 2007),  is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Chelsea and the Brazil national team. He is considered as one of the best young players in the world.

Born in Franca, São Paulo, Estêvão began his youth career with the academy of Cruzeiro in 2017. 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 Rodrigo.

Estêvão moved to the youth academy of Palmeiras on 6 May 2021, signing a trainee contract.  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. 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.

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 Verdão.  At 16 years and 8 months, he became the club’s fourth youngest player ever.

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.

On 4 July 2025, Estêvão played his final game for Palmeiras in the quarterfinals 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.

On 22 June 2024, Premier League club Chelsea announced that Estêvão would join the club in the summer of 2025, on his eighteenth birthday. The deal reportedly commanded a €34 million fee, plus €23 million in performances-based incentives. After 14 months of agreement between Palmeiras and Chelsea, Estêvão was finally unveiled by the Blues on 5 August 2025. He opted to keep the number 41, which he wore during his time at Verdão.

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. 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. On 4 October 2025, he scored his first goal for Chelsea with a composed 95th-minute finish in a 2–1 victory over 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.

Estêvão was first called up to represent the Brazil U17s in October 2022 for a set of friendlies in October 2022.  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.  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.

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

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

Statistics

Season	Competition	Appearances	Goals	Assists	Yellow Cards	Red Cards	Minutes Played	Own Goals
2024/25	Chelsea First Team	9	3	2	1	0	710	0
Total	—	9	3	2	1	0	710	0