At just 17 years old, Estêvão Willian is already one of the biggest prospects in Brazilian football. Nicknamed “Messinho”, the young Palmeiras forward is currently making headlines thanks to his stunning performances in the national championship.
Estêvão Willian (17) amongst all 201 U-23 players in the Brasileirão:
🥇 Goals (7)
🥇 Assists (7)
🥇 Goals + Assists (14)
🥇 Goals outside the box (2)
🥇 Shots on target (20)
🥇 Big chances created (8)
🥇 Touches in opponent’s box (96)Craque! 🇧🇷💫 pic.twitter.com/n5BzksKNAE
— Ginga Bonito 🇧🇷 (@GingaBonitoHub) August 28, 2024
Indeed, among all the players under 23 playing in the Brasileirão this season, Estêvão Willian largely dominates the statistics:
- Goals (7)
- Assists (7)
- Goals + Assists (14)
- Goals scored outside the penalty area (2)
- Shots on target (20)
- Goal chances created (8)
- Touches in the opponent’s area (96)
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With such statistics, it is not surprising that many renowned European clubs were taking a keen interest in Estêvão Willian. Chelsea, FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain in particular closely followed the young Brazilian’s meteoric rise. But the Blues, eventually, sealed the deal in a transfer worth £56m ($71m).
Trained in the Cruzeiro academy, Estêvão joined Palmeiras in 2021. Under coach Abel Ferreira, the 17-year-old quickly earned his place in the first team and has continued to impress since the start of the season.
With excellent dribbling, exceptional vision and a keen eye for goal, Estêvão Willian has all the assets to become one of the best strikers of his generation. His technical qualities, his vision of the game and his intelligence of the game make him a real headache for opposing defenses.
