The look of joy on everyone’s faces said it all.
It is the 83rd minute and the weather is as miserable as Ajax’s performance. Chelsea are 5-1 up against 10 men, the result long since secured, but no-one wants to head for the exits to escape the teeming rain just yet. They all want to see what magic Estevao will conjure up next.
This is the moment when Tyrique George runs down the right flank and sends a cross into the area, which takes a bit of a deflection. Without hesitation, Estevao launches himself and tries an overhead kick. The connection is nearly perfect, as is the direction, but the ball flashes just past the post.
Had the teenage Brazilian’s spectacular effort gone in, everyone would be talking about a goal worthy to mark Chelsea’s 200th Champions League game in the competition. But the sound of “oohs” and “aahs” reverberating around all four stands, and the number of people wearing wide smiles or looks of amazement, told the story that the 18-year-old had given the crowd something for them all to remember the game by anyway.
Chelsea have had their fair share of entertainers since making their debut in the tournament — the individuals who can just do something out of the ordinary to make everyone realise they are being treated to a game at the highest level.
Gianfranco Zola set the standard very high in the club’s first campaign (1999-2000) and they have had talents like Arjen Robben, Joe Cole and Eden Hazard worrying opponents since then. It is far too early to put Estevao in their category but it may not take that long to do so if he maintains the speed of this upward trajectory.
Estevao, right, attempts to score against Ajax with an overhead kick (Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
For the past two seasons, Chelsea supporters have worried where the flair will come from if Cole Palmer was not in the side. Palmer is already spoken about in the same breath as those mentioned above, and that is despite playing only one Champions League game for the club — he shone in the 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in September.
Palmer has been the difference-maker since joining from Manchester City in 2023 but is currently sidelined with a troublesome groin injury that is expected to keep him out for another five weeks. As head coach Enzo Maresca made clear after the game, Palmer’s stardust will always be missed but Estevao is helping fill the void. This is the kind of player that gets people out of their seats.
Maresca said: “I feel very lucky to be his manager because it is exciting, you can enjoy (it). We said many times, I think the fans at the end, they paid the tickets to see players like Cole (Palmer), like Estevao, this kind of player. So it’s nice that we can have players like Estevao, like Cole, like them.
“With young players, most of the time you are a little bit worried because they play one or. two games, score, and think that they are already top players. The good thing about Estevao is that we don’t need to be worried about that because he is very humble. He is very polite, he wants to work hard. He has a fantastic family, they are very close to him, and for me personally, he is fantastic because he is a special player.”
Scoring the late winner against Liverpool earlier this month did wonders to cement his popularity. You can now hear chants of “Estevao uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh” to the tune of the 1975 hit “That’s the Way (I like it)” by KC and the Sunshine Band.
Yes, Ajax were there to be beaten on Wednesday. When captain Kenneth Taylor was sent off in the 17th minute, they seemed resigned to their fate. From then on, it could have been a dull affair with everyone inside the stadium knowing there was going to be only one winner, especially after Marc Guiu put Chelsea ahead a minute later.
But Estevao kept everyone enthralled. He had the most shots (eight), the most efforts on target (three) and provided the most crosses (10). Just before half-time, he showed why defenders will consistently struggle against his nimble feet. Youri Baas had already got away with one nibble on the Brazil international in the area but could not resist a second as Estevao seemingly made it his mission not to allow the Ajax man to get a foot on the ball.
A second penalty for Chelsea was awarded. Captain Enzo Fernandez, who had already scored from the spot to make it 3-1, gave Estevao the chance to get his first Champions League goal. The 18-year-old struck an unstoppable shot into the far corner of the net to replace Guiu as the club’s youngest scorer in the competition — 27 minutes after the Spanish striker had put his own name in the record books.
Estevao is now Chelsea’s youngest Champions League goalscorer (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
You get the impression this will be the first of many feats Estevao will achieve in a blue shirt and his team-mates will have to get used to being asked about him.
Like Estevao, Jorrel Hato, completed a transfer to Stamford Bridge this summer. Speaking in the mixed zone the game, he fielded a few questions about the match and what it had been like to face his former club Ajax, where he had played from the age of 12. Judging by his big grin, though, the best topic was saved till last when asked to describe Estevao’s display.
“He was really good…again,” Hato told Hayters TV. “He’s very young, even younger than me (Hato is 19) but such a great player. Have I seen another teenager like this? Maybe Lamine Yamal but I cannot name any other names.”
High praise indeed. Tougher tasks await and expectations on Estevao’s young shoulders will grow but it is sure going to be a fun watch.
