‘The first time I saw him play, I thought: “God exists”‘: Inside Estevao Willian’s journey from Brazil to Stamford Bridge – as Chelsea Confidential is given exclusive access to intimate documentary which offers hint on teenager’s future

Ivo Goncalves turns to Estevao Willian and gently rests his hand on the arm of his son. ‘A movie plays in our heads, everything we’ve been through to get here, and you get to a moment like this, and I want to have other moments just like it,’ he says.

It is a loving exchange, of a father telling his lad how proud he is of him, with his mother, Etienne Almeida, sitting and smiling on his other side on the sofa in their living room. 

It follows a little reminiscing about the time Estevao scored in Chelsea’s 3-0 Champions League win over Barcelona; the night a star was born as the boy from Brazil upstaged Lamine Yamal at Stamford Bridge.

For Estevao, that game was the culmination of a long journey from Franca to Cruzeiro to Palmeiras to Chelsea, where he arrived aged 18. But there were a few who saw this coming.

Such as Gustavo Ferreira, the now-director of Santos FC who took him to Cruzeiro: ‘The first time I saw Estevao play, I thought, “God exists”. Our Under 20s coach, having watched Estevao train when he was still 13 or 14 years old, came into my office and said that if there was no physical component, Estevao at 13 would already be playing for Cruzeiro’s Under 20s.’

Such as Serginho Carioca, his youth coach: ‘Estevao, when he was six, used to play against kids who were eight or nine. He would always finish off the game, always stand out, and I had this problem – the parents asked me to take Estevao out because he always unbalanced the games.’

Such as Joao Paulo, his academy director at Palmeiras: ‘The first time I saw him play, I said, “This is a great gem to be the best in the world… wow”. I saw (Joaquin) Piquerez, who’s one of our captains and an experienced left back of ours. On the second or third day (of Estevao joining first-team training), he asked me, “Who’s this annoying, talented kid?”’

Such as Nike, who made him the youngest Brazilian to sign a sponsorship deal at the age of 10, with Francisco Godoy, Estevao’s representative, explaining: ‘A huge global brand identifying his talent, for us, really confirmed that we were on the right path.’

It is all captured in a new documentary called I Am Estevao, to be available on the CFC+ video section on Chelsea’s website and seen by Confidential. Included are interviews with Joao Pedro, Thiago Silva, Andrey Santos, and, of course, Estevao himself. 

He speaks Portuguese in the programme, though does confess: ‘I am very close with the Brazilians, but it is also very nice that they care about me. They tell me to speak English. They force me from time to time.’

Estevao produces printed pictures of his favourite moments in football, like the time he scored for Palmeiras after signing a pre-agreement with Chelsea aged 17. ‘This is me doing the (Cole) Palmer celebration,’ he says.

Estevao met Palmer after scoring against his future employers at the 2025 Club World Cup in Philadelphia. ‘I didn’t understand Palmer much,’ Estevao says of their chat after Chelsea defeated Palmeiras 2-1. ‘All I understood was “excited”, then someone came over who spoke Spanish or Portuguese. They translated. They were saying they were excited to see me, to welcome me at Chelsea. I believe it was a very important match in my life and it will be marked in my history.’

Estevao is now into his second season at Chelsea, though is trying to force his way into Xabi Alonso’s team. In their six Premier League fixtures this term, he has been an unused substitute once and introduced five times in the 83rd, 81st, 86th, 87th and 84th minutes.

Some will rightly say it is not a great deal of time for him to make a meaningful mark, with Chelsea fans hardly given a chance to sing their ‘Estevao, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it’ chant to the tune of the 1975 hit That’s The Way (I Like It) by KC and the Sunshine Band.

Others may argue Alonso has elite players keeping this teenager out of the team, prioritises a 3-4-2-1 set-up which limits his opportunities, and gains all the information he needs from training.

Either way, it has sparked talk back in Brazil of Estevao being concerned with where he stands at Chelsea. 

The words of his father – ‘life in England, yes, I can say that I love England, I love England,’ says Ivo Goncalves – and of the son – ‘I see how much affection Chelsea fans have for me, I think this affection makes me feel at home, makes me love this club more,’ says Estevao – may ease the angst among supporters, even if the footage was not filmed recently.

Estevao is contracted to Chelsea until 2032, and, per sources, those inside Stamford Bridge are open to rewarding his patience with a new contract on improved terms. 

His first standout season in the Premier League – from his man-of-the-match performance on his full debut away at West Ham to his stoppage-time winner against Liverpool – has not been forgotten internally. It would certainly lessen the noise externally.

‘That game was incredible, wasn’t it?’ Estevao’s mum says of Liverpool in the documentary. 

Joao Pedro, the 25-year-old who has acted as a mentor to his compatriot, adds: ‘We’re here to help our kid. He really surprised me because there’s not much of an age difference between us. But compared to when I came here at 18 and him arriving now, I believe he’s further ahead than I was, mentally.’

What is fun to watch is the unseen footage of a young Estevao, with braces still shaping that big smile of his, making a mockery of older opponents. 

We also see the moment when the now-19-year-old Brazilian had to nervously introduce himself to the Palmeiras squad: ‘My name is Estevao. Nice to meet you. I’m 16 years old, I am from Franca but live in Sao Paulo.’

Then came Chelsea. On that choice, at a time when every other European giant had declared their interest in acquiring him, Andre Cury, one of Estevao’s representatives from the Link Sports agency, explains: ‘When we met with Chelsea, Laurence (Stewart) and Paul (Winstanley), two very good people working there, told us that Estevao can play as a winger or No 10.’ Godoy, his other rep, adds: ‘Chelsea as a club had a plan for young players that stood out.’

Ivo Goncalves used to be a goalkeeper but, growing up, Estevao knew his father’s position was not for him. ‘Otherwise we would be in Franca still,’ the young Brazilian says of his home city. 

His talents are indeed special, though Estevao cannot pinpoint a moment when he came to the realisation that he was a footballer in the making. ‘I didn’t realise; I was born with it,’ says Chelsea’s terrific teenager.

CHELSEA WANT SCOTT… BUT IT’S A STEEP PRICE TAG

We can expect Chelsea to return for Alex Scott this January after receiving encouragement from Bournemouth, though his steep £100million-plus asking price could prove problematic.

Per sources, Chelsea made at least three offers for the 23-year-old midfielder in the summer with their highest bid worth £68m.

That provides an indication of their initial valuation and it is someway short of the one that has now been made public via Bournemouth sources. Scott is also eating into the final two years of his existing contract and currently sidelined by a muscular injury.

Scott’s former club Bristol City will be due an undisclosed sell-on fee if and when he is sold, and so the Championship side will be hoping for a bidding war, with Liverpool also interested.

SANCHEZ’S LOAN SITUATION

Confidential is told Robert Sanchez’s move from Chelsea to Como is a ‘dry’ loan with no option or obligation to buy included. That means the Italian side will have to negotiate a price if they intend on keeping him permanently after this season.

Sanchez has been second choice to Jean Butez since joining, but Cesc Fabregas opted to start the 28-year-old in Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Feyenoord.

Como lost 3-2. It was an own goal from Sanchez which handed Feyenoord their third, though it was desperately unlucky, the way Anis Hadj Moussa’s deflected shot came back off the woodwork and hit Sanchez on the back of his heel as he was diving. He should not face criticism for that.

But he could be criticised for Feyenoord’s second as Hadj Moussa beat him at his near post. Chelsea fans would note it was scarily similar to the goal he conceded in their 3-2 opening-day win at Fulham back in August. 

That, and the odd other mistake, convinced Alonso to bring in Emiliano Martinez as his new No 1 at Sanchez’s expense. But he could be back next summer and searching for a new home if he cannot convince Como to sign him after this loan.

PALMER’S PAVEMENT RISK

A video circulating this week showed Palmer – not for the first time – walking in the street and surrounded by supporters after Chelsea beat Bournemouth 5-1.

He headed to his car with his girlfriend, Olivia Holder, and team-mate, Morgan Rogers, while they were also accompanied by a member of the club’s security staff.

As one source joked when we asked if there was an alternative solution to Palmer pounding the pavement in search of his ride after games at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have no plans to dig an underground tunnel to allow for a much more private escape.

While it does represent a security risk for the club to have one of their stars out in the open, Chelsea are hamstrung by their stadium’s position and entry and exit points.

Fulham Road is closed 90 minutes before kick-off, and until 60 minutes after full-time. Stamford Bridge has an underground car park, and most players exit via there if they arrange for their ride to enter it early enough prior to the road closures. 

That in itself has been a problem as fans have been known to wait for them to drive out of said car park and try to stop them for an autograph or selfie, which the players are advised to avoid doing in this congested area. It is not a case of footballers acting with arrogance; rather it is for safety reasons.

Palmer is one of those who prefers being picked up after games, which leaves him having to exit Stamford Bridge on foot with a security guard.

MARINA BACK AT THE BRIDGE

Former Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia attended her first game at Stamford Bridge in two years last weekend, taking in the win over Bournemouth with her 11-year-old son, Maxim.

It was previously noted that Granovskaia was interested in becoming a licensed football agent. However, she has yet to be added to the FA’s list of registered intermediaries. 

Were she to re-enter the game, it could be complicated, given the FA and Premier League previously looked into Chelsea’s conduct when Granovskaia and Roman Abramovich were at the helm of the club