What Brazil thinks of Estevao: ‘He looks really at ease – that doesn’t surprise me at all’ – The Athletic
“His style of play is captivating; it lifts a stadium.”
Joao Paulo Sampaio is not surprised that Estevao is already making an impact for Chelsea in the Premier League. As Palmeiras youth academy coordinator, Sampaio knows the teenager better than most.
He has worked for the Brazilian club for 10 years, so he was at Palmeiras when Estevao joined them from Cruzerio in 2021, when he was just 14. Sampaio tells The Athletic: “A lot of people said he would have difficulty with the physicality of the English game, but Estevao was always very intelligent on the pitch. He finds ways to use his ability to come out on top.
“Estevao is one of the best people you could spend time with. And as a player… what is there to say? He arrived at Palmeiras aged 14 and was always a good influence in the group, loved by everyone, especially by his team-mates.”
It has been a thrilling two weeks for Estevao. In Chelsea’s last game before the international break, the 18-year-old scored his first Premier League goal to clinch a last-minute win against defending champions Liverpool and spark wild celebrations at Stamford Bridge. Six days later, Estevao started his third game for Brazil and scored twice in their 5-0 victory against South Korea.
Estevao played a starring role for Brazil against South Korea (Ricardo Nogueira/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images)
Sources, speaking anonymously to The Athletic to protect relationships, say Chelsea began scouting him when he joined Palmeiras. They agreed a deal in May 2024 with Palmeiras worth an initial €34million (£30m, $40m) for him to join the following summer. He was already regarded within Chelsea as one of the best three youngsters in world football, along with Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and Endrick, who left Palmeiras for Real Madrid.
Endrick’s career has stalled and more of the talk in Brazil is focused on the rise of Estevao. Camila Alves, who has worked for TV Globo for six years, says, “Estevao is spoken about a lot more positively in Brazil than Endrick right now — one of the reasons is, he is playing!
“When you see pictures of Endrick, a lot of them are of him sitting on the bench with a tired expression on his face. I like both of them, they have different skills, but with Endrick not having many opportunities, you see more positive comments about Estevao.”
Endrick is not playing regularly at Real Madrid (Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)
Estevao has also gone through struggles to win the approval of football fans in Brazil. Naturally, the vast majority of Palmeiras supporters loved watching him play. However, an unflattering nickname of ‘Cuiaba-Man’ was created to mock him on social media. Cuiaba play in Brazil’s second division and the term was used as a dig at his supposed tendency to only provide goals or assists against smaller teams.
Sampaio insists the label was never taken seriously by anyone at Palmeiras, including Estevao himself. “Rivals created that nickname,” he says. “It is just a provocation. Estevao always responded on the pitch. He was one of the best players in the country in 2024 — for some people, the best. People can say what they want; performances on the pitch speak the loudest.”
Ana Canhedo, who recently came to London to see Estevao as part of an article for Globo Esporte, also gives it short shrift. She says: “That nickname sounded more like friendly teasing from rival fans than anything rooted in truth. He was always an important player for Palmeiras. The player himself doesn’t carry that burden at all.”
Chelsea’s social media team have certainly had their own fun mocking it. After Estevao’s heroics against Arne Slot’s side this month, they put a picture of him on their Instagram account saying, “Liverpool man.” Shortly after Brazil’s victory over South Korea, there was one of him in a Brazil shirt with ‘Selecao-Man’ written this time.
Samuel Vanancio Certo works for YouTube channel Samuca TV and has reported on Cruzeiro since 2016. He never had any doubts Estevao would have a rapid rise in the game and prove the critics wrong.
“Everyone is following Estevao’s progress at Chelsea,” he says. “His goal against Liverpool was celebrated in Brazil. I remember watching him in some of his earliest academy games. He already displayed all the technique that would make him famous years later.
“Estevao was always seen as a big talent. Those of us who followed his first steps in the Cruzeiro youth system always knew he would turn into the great player he is today.
“Everyone used to talk about his dedication. Even after signing a sponsorship deal with Nike (he became the youngest Brazilian player to sign a professional deal with the sportswear company at age 10), he didn’t change. He carried out instructions with the same humility as before.
“A lot of people expected him to move to Real Madrid or Barcelona but people see that Chelsea was the best choice for Estevao. Brazilian fans are really excited to see Estevao shining in Europe. We’re all hoping that he can be a difference-maker for Brazil at the World Cup next year.”
It has not taken Estevao long to become a fan favourite at Chelsea. Already, after nine appearances, there is a buzz in the crowd whenever the ball goes near him. It did not hurt that on his first competitive start for the club — a 5-1 win at West Ham United in August — he set up Enzo Fernandez for a tap-in after a thrilling dribble to the byline.
Lighting up the pitch and getting an assist too ⚡️
How impressed were you with Estevao’s performance against West Ham? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/ft1rLTQGSi
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 25, 2025
The speed of his acclimatisation to English football and living in a new country has not gone unnoticed in his homeland. “Estevao already looks more mature now in his decision-making compared to his Palmeiras days,” Canhedo says. “Off the pitch, too, he’s shown growth — you can see it in the way he handles interviews.
“For young Brazilian talents, moving to European football is, unfortunately, almost a natural path these days. What’s really surprising is how seamlessly he’s adapted to the team.
“There’s been a lot of talk in Brazil about how quickly he’s adjusted — to the club, the league, and his team-mates. That’s genuinely impressive and exciting to see.”
Estevao celebrates his winner against Liverpool with Chelsea captain Reece James (Robin Jones/Getty Images)
Sampaio is busy in his day job helping more young talent come through at Palmeiras, but still finds the time to keep an eye on Estevao’s progress.
“I have watched his games for Chelsea,” Sampaio says. “He looks really at ease. It doesn’t surprise me that the fans have already been charmed by him.
“A player with Estevao’s talent needs freedom to develop. He has improved tactically — he has learned more about various aspects of the game — but he has reached this level because he was always encouraged to be creative (at Palmeiras). He was given the autonomy to dribble and to be a happy kid playing football.”
Alves has noticed a change in how Estevao is perceived since leaving Palmeiras for Chelsea. She explains: “It is not so much about watching Chelsea games but when he does something like a bit of skill or scores a goal, there are lots and lots of videos being shared. Many come from Palmeiras fans but now that he is also playing for Brazil, there are a lot more comments coming from elsewhere. People are following his story for the national team.
“His first Premier League goal… I have seen that the most. There were so many videos of the goal, so many posts, so much reaction to what Chelsea put out.
“The messages were a combination of a sense of pride and just individuals saying, ‘Yeah, Estevao!’. It is not about Chelsea, but more about seeing him grow so he can hopefully do big things for Brazil.”
Being at the centre of so much scrutiny and expectation for club and country could be quite a burden for any footballer, let alone one as young as Estevao. He has been described in some quarters as the ‘next Neymar’, a player who won seven league titles and a Champions League during his time in Europe with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
Sampaio has no doubts Estevao can handle it: “A player like Estevao, who has been viewed as a future star from a young age, is used to all of the attention. The culture of Brazilian football moulds the personalities of young players, in good ways and in bad ways. He has all of the tools to deal with the demands.
“He has shown he feels comfortable wearing the heaviest shirt in the world — there is not a bigger test of personality than playing at a high level for Brazil.”
