Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca says Estevao and Lamine Yamal are likely to become the next Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Estevao outshone Yamal in the first meeting between the two most highly rated 18-year-olds, scoring a stunning goal as Chelsea dominated 10-man Barcelona in a 3-0 win to move into the Champions League top eight. Yamal, who finished second in the Ballon d’Or, had a difficult night at Stamford Bridge as his Spain team-mate Marc Cucurella largely neutralised him with a disciplined defensive display.
CIES Football Observatory rate Yamal and Estevao as the most valuable 18-year-olds in world football, valuing Yamal at €350m (£307.5m) and Estevao at €118m (£103.7m).
Barcelona and Brazil forward Raphinha, who plays alongside both youngsters, had predicted the duo could mirror Messi and Ronaldo by contesting the world’s best-player prize for years. Maresca agreed in an interview with BeIN Sports: “As Raphinha said, probably in the next 10, 15 years, Estevao and Lamine Yamal are probably going to be the next Messi and Ronaldo. But for both, they are 18. They need to enjoy, try to improve every day. This the most important thing for them.”
At his press conference Maresca tempered that comparison when asked if Estevao’s glide past Pau Cubarsi before his goal recalled a young Messi: “The goal Estevao scored reminded me of the one he scored against us in the Club World Cup. It’s very similar, the same action. He needs to relax. He needs to enjoy his football, he needs to play football. Him and Lamine [Yamal] are such young boys at 18, if you start to talk about Ronaldo and Messi, that’s too much pressure for young boys like them. They need to arrive at the training ground happy for sessions, but when you start to compare them with those two, it’s too much for them.”
Estevao described scoring against Barcelona as the “most special moment” of his young career. The Brazil international left Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi behind before firing into the roof of the net with his weaker right foot to make it 2-0. That strike made Estevao the third teenager to score in each of his first three Champions League starts, after Kylian Mbappe (18y 113d) and Erling Haaland (19y 107d).
“I don’t really have any words to sum up how I am feeling right now,” Estevao told Amazon Prime. “It really was the perfect night. I am just grateful to God for making everything happen for me. Onwards and upwards from here. It was all very quick for me [for my goal]. It happened before I knew it. I just found some space and wiggled my way through and scored the goal. It was such a special moment for me in my career and I hope to score many more. Yes, it was definitely the most special moment in my career. I hope I keep scoring more and more for many years.”
Cucurella, who has played with both talents, said Estevao is behind Yamal but closing the gap quickly. Yamal made his Barcelona debut aged 15 and is already a European champion with Spain and a two-time LaLiga winner. Estevao only began playing in Europe after his summer move from Palmeiras to Chelsea.
“The main difference is that Estevao maybe arrived now to Europe and [he is] maybe a few years back to Lamine [Yamal],” Cucurella said. “But he showed today that he has a lot of personality and he has good quality. Yeah. He’s a special guy. We have good people in the dressing room, so hopefully we can help him.”