New Brazil's Star Moves To Barcelona

One of the most sought after footballers of the next 18 months is expected to be Palmeiras youngster Estevao Willian. The 16-year-old is expected to follow a similar trajectory to that of current teammate Endrick Felipe, albeit at this stage, he looks much more likely to head to Barcelona, rather than Real Madrid.

Earlier this season, Estevao revealed that his dream is to join the Catalan giants, whom he has been a huge fan of over the years. Fortunately for him, the feeling is mutual, and Barcelona are prepared to fend off plenty of interest and their own financial woes in order to make a big effort towards signing him.

MD say that Barcelona would have already made a move for Estevao had they not been in financial turmoil, which has forced them to prioritise other operations for the time being, given that the teenager cannot join until the summer of 2025. However, they will make their move at some stage, and Palmeiras won’t stand in the way.

Estevao and his agent will prioritise a move to Barcelona, and at this stage, all signs point towards a deal being very likely over the next 18 months. It would be a major coup for the Catalans, who recently added Vitor Roque to their squad – another Brazilian star of the future would be excellent news.

  Personal information

Estêvão Willian Almeida de Oliveira Gonçalves (born 24 April 2007), known as Estevão Willian or simply Estevão, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Palmeiras

Team information

Estêvão Willian was born in Franca, Brazil, and began his youth career with the academy of Cruzeiro in 2017.[1] He originally used the nickname 'Messinho' as an homage to Lionel Messi, due to similarities in their playing style.[2] The following year 2018 at the age of 10, Estêvão signed a professional contract with Nike, making him their youngest Brazilian player to sign with the company surpassing Rodrygo Goes.[3] He moved to the youth academy of Palmeiras on 6 May 2021, signing a trainee contract.[4] In the 2022 season, he helped the Palmeiras youth teams win the Campeonato Paulista Sub-17 [pt], Campeonato Paulista Sub-15 [pt], Copa do Brasil Sub-17 and Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-17.[5] In October 2023, he scored a hat-trick in the Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-17 final which ended in a 3–0 victory against São Paulo, to help his club to achieve their second consecutive title in the competition.[6]

On 7 December 2023, Estevão made his professional debut for Palmeiras, coming off the bench in the 78th minute of a 1–1 draw away at Cruzeiro which sealed the Série A title win for Verdão.[7] At 16 years and 8 months, he became the club's fourth youngest player ever.[8]