Estevao Willian: All you need to know about Chelsea’s Brazilian wonderkid

After his wonder goal in Chelsea's 3-0 thrashing of Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, the hype around Estevao has gone up another level. The winger showed his brilliance and never looked out of place at the elite level despite being just a teenager. 

His full name is Estêvão Willian Almeida de Oliveira Gonçalves, but he is called Estevao for short. 

Estevao was born on April 24, 2007 in in Franca, São Paulo, Brazil. This makes him 18 years old as of November 2025. 

Estevao’s father is Ivo Gonçalves and his mother is Etienne Almeida. His father, Ivo, was a former goalkeeper and played a key role in nurturing Estevao's football talent. His mother is credited with being a major influence on his education and values.

No, Estevao Willian is not related to Willian Borges da Silva, who also played for Chelsea and the Brazil national team. 

The name Willian is common in Brazil and they share the Chelsea connection but they come from different families. 

Estevao started playing academy of Cruzeiro in 2017, before moving to the youth academy of Palmeiras in May 2021 on a trainee contract.

He has a successful time at the academy, helping the Palmeiras youth teams win the Campeonato Paulista Sub-17, Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Sub-17, Campeonato Paulista Sub-15 Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Sub-15, Copa do Brasil Sub-17 and Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-17. 

By 16years and eight months, he was promoted to the Palmeiras senior team, making his debut against Cruzeiro and becoming the club's fourth youngest player ever.

Estevao went on to play for two years at the club, scoring 27 goals in 83 appearances. In 2024, it was announced that he had signed a contract with Premier Legaue side Chelsea, but he would join the club in the summer of 2025 after turning 18. 

The deal was a €34 million base fee, plus €23 million in extra clauses. The winger was eventually by Chelsea on August 5, 2025.

Several top clubs in Europe were interested in signing Estevao, but the Brazilian chose Chelsea due to their plans for him and his family. 

“I decided for Chelsea because of their planning; I was very pleased with that,” he said, as reported by Pulse Sports.

“Not just for me, but also for my family. It was the club that believed in me and trusted in my work. I hope I can pay that back.”

Estevao earns £30,000 per week at Chelsea, making it £1.6m in a year. His current contract is until June 2033, but if he continues to impress, it is expected that the club would increase his salary.

Estevao represented Brazil at the U17 level in 2022 when he was 15. By 17, he made his national team debut, and scored his his first international goal in Brazil's 3-0 win against Chile by 18.

Estevao scored 27 goals in 83 appearances for Palmeiras, and he has five goals in 11 caps for Brazil. 

At this time, the winger already has five goals in 17 appearances for Chelsea.

Estevao is a practicing Christian who speaks openly about his deep religious faith. He has publicly stated that "God is everything to me".

His father is a pastor, and Estevao has mentioned that a prophecy received in church before he was born foretold his destiny and influenced his name, which means "crown".