Chelsea’s Estevao Willian was part of a Palmeiras side that suffered major disappointment against Corinthians on Friday.
Estevao Willian, who will officially join Chelsea in the summer, has been under the close watch of Blues supporters for the last year ahead of his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
Corinthians have been crowned champions of the Paulista Championship after beating Palmeiras across a two-legged final.
Corinthians beat Palmeiras 1-0 earlier in March in the first leg. On Friday, the teams played out a goalless draw in the second leg, which also included three red cards in a fiery derby.
Even though Estevao has been ranked the world’s second best teenager, the 17-year-old winger couldn’t bail his Brazilian side out of trouble this week.
Photo by Alexandre Schneider - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Photo by Alexandre Schneider – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Chelsea signing Estevao has received a bit of criticism in national media after his contribution in the cup final versus
Globo wrote: “Estevao – 5/10. He dreamed of scoring his first goal in a derby, but his performance was poor due to the team’s lack of creativity. He still tried his classic runs down the wing, but he saw little space and almost no passing options nearby.”
As mentioned above, Estevao struggled to influence the match because of a lack of creativity around him. Hopefully, he doesn’t encounter the same problem when he comes to Chelsea next season.
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Chelsea chiefs are excited by Estevao because they can’t wait to see him link up with Cole Palmer. If the attacking duo can get on the same wavelength quickly, it could be a very exciting watch.
Meanwhile, Andrey Santos called Estevao “world-class” in a recent interview, and we’re excited to see the Brazilian duo play together later in 2025 as well.
Photo by Heuler Andrey/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Photo by Heuler Andrey/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Estevao Willian statistics vs Corinthians
It was a pretty frustrating display for Estevao in the cup final, and the underlying numbers prove why.
Minutes played Total shots Chances created Accurate passes Successful dribbles Accurate crosses Corners Offsides
90 0 0 15/20 (75%) 2/7 (29%) 1/6 (17%) 3 2
Estevao Willian stats vs Corinthians via FOTMOB
At the age of 17, Estevao is naturally going to have these types of matches where he’ll learn on the job.
It’s still been a superb start to his senior career for the incoming Chelsea signing, In fact, he’s scored 20 goals and created 10 assists in 60 first-team appearances for Palmeiras.
The pressure and expectation on the youngster’s shoulders are huge, especially because he’s a senior Brazil international. However, it would be great if he can be eased into his Chelsea career when he joins.