Comparisons mean little to Est\u00eav\u00e3o Willian. The Brazil winger did not even take kindly to being nicknamed Messinho \u2013 \u201cLittle Messi\u201d \u2013 earlier in his career. He called the nickname \u201cdisruptive\u201d and made clear that he had no interest in trying to be someone else. \u201cI don\u2019t like comparisons,\u201d the 18-year-old told ESPN Brasil last year. \u201cFor those who don\u2019t know how to deal with it, it\u2019s quite disruptive. Me being Est\u00eav\u00e3o is very good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chelsea no doubt agree. After all, opposition defenders aside, who could possibly complain about Est\u00eav\u00e3o just being Est\u00eav\u00e3o? Not for nothing is he widely tipped to win the Ballon d\u2019Or one day. The teenager\u2019s talent is outrageous, his start to life in England has been better than expected and, although the obvious risk with heaping too much praise on a young prospect is that it makes them take their eye off the ball, it is telling that those who know Est\u00eav\u00e3o say one of the qualities that set him apart is his character.<\/p>\n
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea\u2019s head coach, does not worry about the Brazilian losing focus. For Chelsea, the concern is more about protecting Est\u00eav\u00e3o from burnout as he adjusts to the physicality of the Premier League. He has made only seven starts in all competitions since his \u00a352m move from Palmeiras last summer and goes into his first meeting with Lamine Yamal knowing there is much to prove before he can be held in the same regard as Barcelona\u2019s 18-year-old winger.<\/p>\n
For all that Est\u00eav\u00e3o dislikes being compared to other players, the similarities with Lamine Yamal are striking. Both are left-footed, both play on the right and both love nothing more than taking a full-back to the cleaners. Both are devastating when they cut inside to deliver inswinging crosses or whip shots towards the far corner, but neither can be accused of being predictable. Est\u00eav\u00e3o, for instance, was at his creative best when he came on during Chelsea\u2019s win against Wolves this month, driving down the outside and using his right foot to cut the ball back for Jo\u00e3o Pedro to score. Itwas an electrifying cameo.<\/p>\n
Chelsea have fallen hard for Est\u00eav\u00e3o. The fans love him and Stamford Bridge erupted when he scored his first league goal in dramatic circumstances, sliding in at the far post to bag a stoppage-time winner against Liverpool<\/a> last month. This is clearly a player with an eye for the spectacular, which is why Maresca may trust him to start when Barcelona visit in the Champions League on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n Est\u00eav\u00e3o was Chelsea\u2019s stoppage time hero when he popped up to score the winner against Liverpool. Photograph: Darren Walsh\/Chelsea FC\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Do not expect Est\u00eav\u00e3o, who has four goals for Chelsea so far, to be overawed. He is already a starter for Brazil \u2013 he scored twice for his country during this month\u2019s international break \u2013 and would be making his 100th appearance at club level if he plays against Bar\u00e7a.<\/p>\n However, it is worth remembering that Est\u00eav\u00e3o has not had as much exposure to elite competition as Lamine Yamal, despite being three months older than the Spaniard. Chelsea have not been in a rush. They agreed their deal with Palmeiras in May 2024 but allowed Est\u00eav\u00e3o to stay with the Brazilian club for another year and represent them at the Club World Cup last summer, meaning much of his football has been played in South America, where the competition is fierce but still not as demanding as in Europe.<\/p>\n Lamine Yamal, by contrast, has been competing at the very top since the start. He turned 17 a day before he helped Spain to beat England in the Euro 2024 final<\/a>, played a starring role in Barcelona winning La Liga last season and finished second to Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 in the Ballon d\u2019Or this year.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth of them are very special players,\u201d said Marc Cucurella, who plays with Est\u00eav\u00e3o at club level and Lamine Yamal for Spain. \u201cThey always want the ball. The only difference is that Lamine has been playing in Europe for maybe two or three seasons and Est\u00eav\u00e3o arrived this season \u2013 but he\u2019s doing really well. If he continues improving he can be at Lamine\u2019s level.\u201d<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Football Daily<\/p>\n Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Est\u00eav\u00e3o, seen here during a training session on Monday, has already given the Premier League a taste of what he can do. Photograph: Darren Walsh\/Chelsea FC\/Getty Images<\/p>\n There is perhaps more depth to Lamine Yamal\u2019s game at the moment. The dribbles are more inventive, more bewitching, and there are times when his crosses and passing defy logic. Chelsea, though, see Est\u00eav\u00e3o developing into a playmaker capable of operating as a No 10 and will also note that there have been questions about Lamine Yamal\u2019s behaviour away from the pitch this season. Cucurella touched on that, saying there may have been hints of the Bar\u00e7a star \u201cperhaps being a little more distracted\u201d.<\/p>\n There was, of course, controversy around Lamine Yamal withdrawing from the Spain squad this month. Injuries have taken a toll. A groin problem has troubled Lamine Yamal, although he looked back to his best when he produced two assists during Barcelona\u2019s 4-0 win against Athletic Bilbao last Saturday.<\/p>\n