Article body analysed
By YASEEN ZAMAN, SPORTS REPORTER Published: 07: 07 AEST, 9 August 2025 | Updated: 07: 40 AEST, 9 August 2025 12 View comments Chelsea fans could not contain their excitement after teenage sensation Estevao Willian light up Stamford Bridge with a dazzling performance in his first appearance for the club against Bayer Leverkusen. It didn't take long for the 18-year-old Brazilian to announce his arrival - within 18 minutes, Estevao pounced on a rebound from Cole Palmer's shot to hit home Chelsea's opener. Late in the game, Joao Pedro added gloss to the scoreline with a composed finish, sealing a 2-0 victory for the Blues and wrapping up a productive evening for both new signings. Estevao's arrival had been anticipated since Chelsea agreed a deal with Palmeiras in June 2024. The £30million transfer finally became official once he turned 18 this summer. And he marked his territory in west London in the best way possible on Friday night, sending Chelsea fans into a frenzy. One fan wrote on X: 'Yamal who? ! Estevao is the best young talent of the world. ' Estevao Willian sent Chelsea fans into a frenzy after his pre-season debut vs Bayer Leverkusen The 18-year-old Brazilian wonderkid scored the Blues' opener in their 2-0 win on Friday night Estevao's arrival had been anticipated since Chelsea agreed a deal with Palmeiras in June 2024, and the £30m transfer finally became official once he turned 18 this summer. Fans online have already mounted heavy expectations on Estevao after his exciting showing Another commented: 'Kid's wasting no time, what a way to announce yourself, ' while a third said: 'Unbelievable first outing. Exceptional player. ' A fourth said: 'First goal in the bag, remember the name. ' Another fan wrote: 'All the characteristics to reach superstar status, let’s see if he has the discipline. ' Estevao's meteoric rise comes after a standout stint at Palmeiras, where he scored 27 goals in 83 appearances. He became the fourth-youngest player in their history to debut, won the Brasileirao Best Newcomer and the prestigious Bola de Ouro. Despite the excitement over Estevao, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca previously insisted he will avoid placing excessive pressure on his young star as he begins his debut season. He said: 'I met him for the first time in the USA when we played against Palmeiras. He's a fantastic player. He's very young, is a happy boy, and is always laughing. Typical for a Brazilian guy. We want to keep him happy. 'With him, we need to pay a little bit more attention [than other signings] because, first of all, he's from another part of the world, and also he's very young. So we need to pay attention, not put him under pressure, give him happiness, give him time. 'He needs to adapt, and hopefully we can give him minutes to make him even happier. But for sure, he's a talented player. '
Share what you think
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mail Online.
By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on Mail Online. To do this we will link your Mail Online account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd