Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has been told by Palmeiras counterpart Abel Ferreira to “embrace” teenage star Estêvão Willian and “take care of him” after the forward’s stunning goal against his new club failed to deny the Premier League side a place in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals.
An 83rd minute own goal by Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton, after Estêvão had cancelled out Cole Palmer’s first-half opener, sealed a 2-1 quarterfinal win for Chelsea in Philadelphia and booked a semifinal against Fluminense in New Jersey next Tuesday.
But 18-year-old Estêvão stole the show, earning the Player of the Match award, in his final game for Palmeiras before completing a move to Chelsea later this month. Chelsea signed Estêvão in a £33.8m ($46.1m) deal a year ago before loaning him back to the Brazilian club.
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Palmeiras coach Ferreira urged Chelsea to handle the rising star with care to get the best out of him.
“I spoke before with Maresca,” Ferreira told reporters. “He is a nice coach and I told him. ‘you bought an amazing player, but more than this you bought an amazing person’.”
“He is a kid that is 18 years old so Chelsea need to take care of him. They need to embrace him because in the beginning, for sure, he will make mistakes.
“Like you saw today, he is an amazing player with a lot of skill. He is a player who can win a game alone.
“When he started with Palmeiras, my first thought was that he wasn’t too strong, but he’s really good and has a lot of strength.
“He looks really slim, but he is strong. He’s fast with his dribbling, he is an amazing player, and he is tough. Chelsea paid a lot for him, so congratulations Chelsea, because you have an amazing player.”
Ferreira said he has also given Estêvão a friendly warning about what to expect from life in England.
“I told him the sun is not the same!” Ferreira joked. “In England it appears maybe 2-3 times a year and the night comes early.
“I am sure Chelsea have all the conditions to support him. He’s a fantastic player, but he needs the help, for sure.”
After watching Estevao perform so well against his team, Maresca said it was the “perfect night.”
“I’m happy because we won and also happy because Estêvão scored,” Maresca said. “The perfect night.
“He is very good, a huge talent, fantastic player. The only thing is when you come from South America or another part of the world is that you need to adapt, but we are going to help him. We have no doubt he will be an important player for Chelsea.”
