Enzo Maresca has admitted his excitement towards the future after Estêvão made an immediate impact in Chelsea’s 2–0 win over Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.
In June 2024, Chelsea confirmed a deal to sign the talented young winger from Palmeiras for an initial €34 million (£29.5 million, $39.6 million), plus a further €23 million in add-ons, with fans forced to wait until he had turned 18 before he could make the move to Stamford Bridge.
Estêvão finally joined up with Chelsea after scoring against the Blues at this summer’s Club World Cup, and he was immediately thrown into the starting lineup for Friday’s friendly, in which he opened the scoring in what was a thoroughly entertaining first outing for the club.
“He’s very, very young,” Maresca said after the game. “For sure, as I said yesterday, he is going to help the team. He’s a fantastic player.”
Estevao is here! 🪄 pic.twitter.com/QxWd5umZfu
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 8, 2025
Maresca’s excitement was shared by another new Chelsea signing. Jamie Gittens, who also enjoyed an impressive first game for the club, confessed Estêvão had already shone for his new teammates in training.
“It was amazing,” Gittens told the media. “You’ve seen the Joga Bonito.
“He’s a great player with so much skill and attributes so it was great to see him play and score. We see it in training every day. He’s been here for a week and he’s already done mad things in training so to see it today was just one part of him doing it every day.”
Estêvão, who kissed the Chelsea badge after firing home his first unofficial goal for the club, will hope for another run-out in blue as Maresca’s side prepare for their final pre-season friendly against AC Milan on Sunday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Fantastic Player’—Enzo Maresca Reacts to Estevao’s Dazzling Chelsea Debut.
