Estêvão Willian
Brazilian footballer (born 2007)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Estêvão Willian Almeida de Oliveira Gonçalves (born 24 April 2007), known as Estêvão Willian (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [isˈte.vɐ̃w̃]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Chelsea and the Brazil national team. He is regarded as one of the best young players in the world.[3][4]
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Estêvão with Palmeiras in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Estêvão Willian Almeida de Oliveira Gonçalves[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 24 April 2007[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Franca, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Chelsea | ||
| Number | 41 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2017–2021 | Cruzeiro | ||
| 2021–2024 | Palmeiras | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2025 | Palmeiras | 62 | (18) |
| 2025– | Chelsea | 22 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023 | Brazil U17 | 5 | (3) |
| 2024– | Brazil | 11 | (5) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:30, 18 April 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 02:54, 19 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Born in Franca, São Paulo, Estêvão began his youth career with the academy of Cruzeiro in 2017.[5] The following year, in 2018, at the age of 12, Estêvão signed a professional contract with Nike, making him the youngest Brazilian player to sign with the company, surpassing Real Madrid forward Rodrygo.[6]
Club career
Palmeiras
Estêvão moved to the youth academy of Palmeiras on 6 May 2021, signing a trainee contract.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]
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 Palmeiras.[10] At 16 years and 8 months, he became the club's fourth youngest player ever.[11]
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.[12]
On 4 July 2025, Estêvão played his final game for Palmeiras in the quarter-finals 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.[13]
Chelsea
On 22 June 2024, Premier League club Chelsea announced that Estêvão would join the club in the summer of 2025, on his eighteenth birthday.[14][15][16] The deal reportedly commanded a €34 million fee, plus €23 million in performances-based incentives.[16] Estêvão was unveiled 14 months later by Chelsea on 5 August 2025, the player opting to keep the number 41 which he wore during his time at Palmeiras.[17]
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.[18] 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.[19] On 4 October, he scored his first goal for Chelsea with a composed 95th-minute finish in a 2–1 victory over rivals 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.[20] Later that month, on 22 October, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal from a penalty in a 5–1 victory over Ajax,[21] becoming the youngest Chelsea player to score in the competition at 18 years and 181 days old.[22] Later that year, on 25 November, he scored a goal in a 3–0 victory over Barcelona, becoming the third teenager to score in each of his first three Champions League starts, only behind Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.[23]
On April 18 2026, during a 0-1 home defeat to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, he suffered serious hamstring injury and left the match in the 16th minute , which casts serious doubt on his participation at the World Cup.[24]
International career
Estêvão was first called up to represent the Brazil U17s in October 2022 for a set of friendlies in October 2022.[25] 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.[26] 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.[27]
On 4 September 2025, during 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, Estêvão scored his first international goal in Brazil's 3–0 win against Chile.[28]
He continued to be called up to the Brazil national team for international matches and 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games after making his debut. During this period, he made additional appearances and played as part of the attack. While still a teenager, he gained experience by playing in competitive international matches. These matches increased his total number of appearances for Brazil and reflected his continued involvement with the national team during the qualification campaign.[29]
Style of play
Estêvão has been compared to Lionel Messi and Neymar.[30] He originally used the nickname Messinho as a homage to Messi, due to similarities in their respective playing styles.[31] He has also been praised for his maturity, his reading of the game and his decision making, which were all considered to be precocious.[32]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 18 April 2026[33]
| Club | Season | League | State league[a] | National cup[b] | League cup[c] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Palmeiras | 2023 | Série A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 31 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 7[d] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 15 | |||
| 2025 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | 5[d] | 4 | 5[e] | 1 | 37 | 12 | |||
| Total | 43 | 13 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | 12 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 83 | 27 | |||
| Chelsea | 2025–26 | Premier League | 22 | 2 | — | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7[f] | 3 | — | 36 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 65 | 15 | 19 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 119 | 35 | ||
- Includes Campeonato Paulista
- Includes Copa do Brasil, FA Cup
- Appearances in Copa Libertadores
- Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
- As of match played 18 November 2025[34]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2024 | 4 | 0 |
| 2025 | 7 | 5 | |
| Total | 11 | 5 | |
- As of match played 18 November 2025
- Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Estêvão goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 September 2025 | Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 6 |  Chile | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 10 October 2025 | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea | 8 |  South Korea | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 4 | 15 November 2025 | Emirates Stadium, London, England | 10 |  Senegal | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 5 | 18 November 2025 | Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille, France | 11 |  Tunisia | 1–1 | 1–1 |
Honours
Palmeiras
Chelsea
Individual
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Best Newcomer: 2024[37]
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2024[37]
- Bola de Ouro: 2024[38]
- Troféu Mesa Redonda Best Player: 2024[39]
- London Football Awards Men’s Young Player of the Year: 2026[40]
