Brazil take on Tunisia in a friendly in Lille on Tuesday night, and manager Sami Trabelsi has made some bold claims about Chelsea youngster Estevao Willian’s Ballon d’Or prospects.
No one expected Chelsea’s new signing to settle in quite as well as he has over the last three months.
Already one of Enzo Maresca’s most dangerous attacking weapons, Estevao claims he’s only getting better.
That’s a scary proposition for opposing defenders, who have had no answer for the 18-year-old’s captivating forward play.
If Estevao keeps improving, he’ll have no problem meeting the lofty expectations placed on him by the Tunisia boss.
Tunisia v Namibia - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier
Photo by Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
Tunisia’s Sami Trabelsi lays out the Ballon d’Or path for Estevao
With both sides already qualified for the World Cup, Tuesday’s friendly between Brazil and Tunisia offers little excitement.
In the build-up, focus quickly shifted to the Brazilian wonderkid, with Trabelsi making some bold claims sure to excite Chelsea fans.
As ESPN report, he says: “I think he’s a new football genius emerging, very young. I think he’s doing very well and he’s a player who can be expected to be among the greats, among the best in the world, certainly, in the coming years.
“If he manages to have good performances or win titles, whether with his club or national team, he will be among the players who, in the coming years, could even compete for the Ballon d’Or.”
Estevao Willian looks on during Brazil v Senegal - International Friendly
Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
A high target set for the teenager, but one he looks more than capable of hitting. Trabelsi already has Estevao in that top tier of player.
He continues: “He brings many solutions, a lot of technique, a lot of genius. There aren’t many players of that level, of that category of genius, on the world stage.”
A potential problem for Estevao’s Ballon d’Or hopes
As much as Estevao has the talent to break into Ballon d’Or conversations, his route to the award might be blocked by another Blue.
In a World Cup year like this, national team success is essential for any award consideration. In any other year, team success at the club level is paramount.
That means Estevao would have to be the best player for Chelsea while winning one or a number of trophies. A certain Cole Palmer might have something to say about that.
💙👀 Enzo Maresca on Estevão playing as number 🔟 in future: “He wants to learn, he needs time… but in my view, he’s similar to Cole Palmer”.
“Cole started wide at Man City then built some physicality. In future, Estevão can do the same and become a number 10”. pic.twitter.com/h1ISqUELDk
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 23, 2025
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Maresca has compared Palmer and Estevao, but the latter will have to do a lot more to challenge for the role of Chelsea’s talisman.
Time is on the side of the 18-year-old, but eclipsing his teammate will be no mean feat.