Chelsea’s Estevao Willian and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal are players Raphinha knows very well.
Yamal is one of Raphinha’s teammates at Barcelona, while the former Leeds United man has also played alongside Estevao for Brazil.
Tuesday night could now see the two go head-to-head, with Chelsea taking on Barcelona in the Champions League.
Marc Cucurella is playing down his battle with Lamine Yamal
“We have a good opportunity. We need to know it’s two big games, but it’s nothing more than three points.
“It’s difficult to play against them [type of players] because they have special talent and a lot of quality. It’s not Lamine [Yamal] vs Cucurella. It’s a big game. We need to have a big game.”
Marc Cucurella
Raphinha’s minutes need to be managed after an injury, but he should also feature in the game at Stamford Bridge and has spoken about Yamal and Estevao in the build-up to it.
Barcelona duo Raphinha and Lamine Yamal talking
Photo by Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Raphinha tips Lamine Yamal and Chelsea’s Estevao Willian to become two of the best players in the world
After playing with both of them, Raphinha is convinced that Yamal and Estevao will find themselves among the world’s best in the near future.
Speaking about the two youngsters in a pre-match press conference, which has been shared by HaytersTV, Raphinha said: “For me, they are two players of the highest level. I think in the next years they will be the best players in the world and I’m sure because I’ve worked with them.”
Many would already consider Yamal as one of the top players in world football, but Estevao certainly needs to do more before he can be named in that conversation.
Carlo Ancelotti has high hopes for Estevao Willian
“Estevao has incredible talent on the right. With him, Brazil has a guarnateed future.”
Carlo Ancelotti
The 18-year-old only arrived in England over the summer and has scored just one goal in the Premier League so far, netting the winner against Liverpool last month.
Even so, Estevao is still having a bright campaign and has a few goals across the other competitions Chelsea have played in this season.
Despite his talent, Chelsea fans expect Pedro Neto to start instead of Estevao against Barcelona.
Estevao Willian looks on during West Ham United v Chelsea - Premier League
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
With Estevao already making an impact at Chelsea, it will not be long before he is considered as one of the top players in the world.
The Brazil international has the attributes needed to become an elite attacker. For example, he is a terrific dribbler.
As per FBref, Estevao completes 3.63 successful take-ons per 90, putting him in the 99th percentile among attacking midfielders and wingers.
Enzo Maresca already thinks Estevao is worth £100m and has made a very similar prediction to Raphinha about the former Palmeiras star.