Neymar, one of Estêvão Willian's soccer heroes, was left blown away following the young Brazilian's scintillating showing in Chelsea's victory over Manchester United on Saturday.
Estêvão made his first Premier League start of the campaign and had the home faithful on their feet with a stunning performance. Post-match, Xabi Alonso described it as the "best response" from the 19-year-old, having been largely sidelined throughout the season prior to Saturday's win.
Alonso said, via football.london : "You ask me, but sometimes I can't give you all the info [before the game regarding whether Estêvão would play]. We spoke after Tottenham and he knew that he was going to be playing today.
Neymar's message to Estevao Willian after Chelsea's win against Manchester United
"He has had the best response to show that he deserves more, that he was prepared and that's what you want from a football player, so I'm very happy for him. He deserved to enjoy his game, he had a good connection with the crowd. He was really close to scoring that goal. At the end he fought really hard, he was tired and it has been a good day for him."
It was evident that Estêvão's return to the pitch was equally celebrated by his teammates. When Morgan Rogers broke the deadlock with a breathtaking solo run into the United penalty area, he made a beeline to celebrate with the diminutive Brazilian.
The Chelsea pair recreated Neymar's iconic celebration. Neymar reshared Estêvão's story of him and Rogers copying his celebration and wrote: "Fenômenos". The word in Portuguese translates to, "Phenomenon" in English.
Estêvão has frequently spoken about Neymar in the past, a player he has inevitably drawn comparisons to given their similar styles of play and shared nationality, describing him as one of the soccer stars he admires most.
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In 2024, he told The Guardian : "I like Neymar a lot too, Cristiano Ronaldo. But my reference is [Lionel] Messi for everything he's done for football. The way he plays and what he does off the pitch is a guy I always have to look up to. And, of course, for me being left-footed like him favors as well.
"Some people are born with talent, others have to work hard. Good examples are Messi and Ronaldo. Messi has the talent, Ronaldo the effort. I look for both. Talent and dedication. Today in football you have to dedicate yourself, you have to keep to a schedule, train, travel, take care of yourself. You have to give up a lot. Without dedication you can't get anywhere."
With the Blues set to travel to the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon, Estêvão will be eager to discover whether he has done enough to secure a second consecutive league start.
