In Brazilian football, clubs don’t hesitate to promote young prospects when they believe in their talent. That’s how Estevão Willian, at just 17 years old, is already a key player in Palmeiras’ starting lineup despite his young age.
And even though at times it’s hard to believe how young he actually is, there are moments that remind us of his real age. This happened again in the latest round of the 2024 Brasileirão, in which the future Chelsea player stole the show in Palmeiras’ 2-0 win over Bahia.
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Despite being the best player of the game, his age prevented him from receiving the Man of the Match award. As the sponsor of the competition and the award is the betting company Betano, Estevão couldn’t be seen with the prize as he is underage.
Therefore, the award went to the Argentine midfielder Aníbal Moreno, but the young Brazilian midfielder received a consolation prize: since he couldn’t have the original reward, he was given a Minion, the famous animated character from “Despicable Me”, whose fourth installment is currently in theaters.
Estevão Willian was elected Man of the Match yesterday but since he is underage, he cannot advertise for a Betting company which sponsors the award.
As a result, Aníbal Moreno won the award & they gave Estevão Willian a minion as a trophy 😂 pic.twitter.com/kMad2ErS8h
— Ginga Bonito 🇧🇷 (@GingaBonitoHub) July 8, 2024
It’s definitely a hilarious situation that also reminds us of how young Estevão really is, no matter how mature he appears to be on the field.
The youngster, who will join Chelsea once he turns 18 in 2025, is enjoying a fantastic moment in Brazil, where he boasts seven goals and four assists in 27 matches across all competitions in 2024.
