Chelsea Teenager Shines on “Perfect Night” as Boss Urges Calm Amid Rising Expectations
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca moved quickly to temper the growing excitement around teenage star Estevao, dismissing comparisons to Lionel Messi just moments after the Brazilian’s breathtaking goal helped secure a stunning 3-0 Champions League victory over Barcelona.
The 18-year-old winger was the star of the show at a jubilant Stamford Bridge, winning his much-anticipated duel with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. His moment of magic broke the game open in the 55th minute. Receiving the ball on the right flank, Estevao danced past two Barcelona defenders before unleashing a ferocious strike into the roof of the net, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
The goal, his 10th of an already-impressive debut campaign, was sandwiched between an earlier Jules Kounde own goal and a late finish from substitute Liam Delap, sealing a dominant Chelsea performance that saw Barcelona reduced to 10 men after Ronald Araujo’s late red card.
Despite the obvious parallels being drawn by fans and pundits, Maresca deliberately played down the Messi comparisons. Instead, he recalled a similar goal Estevao scored for his former club, Palmeiras, against Chelsea in the Club World Cup.
“Him, Lamine, they are so young, at 18, that if you start to talk about Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, I think it’s too much pressure for young boys like them,” Maresca said, urging for calm. “They need to enjoy, they need to arrive at the training ground, happy.”
The man of the moment was simply soaking it all in. Serenaded by the Chelsea faithful all night, an emotional Estevao called it the “best moment” of his career.
“I don’t really have any words to sum up how I’m feeling right now,” he told Amazon Prime. “It really was the perfect night… From the moment I arrived here, I felt such a connection with the fans.”
When asked if the stunning goal would force his hand for future team selections, Maresca was clear, stating that the “game plan decides always the first 11.” For now, the message from the manager is clear: let the prodigious talent play without the weight of the world on his shoulders.
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