Chelsea opens its wallet to sign a 17-year-old superstar prospect.
Esteban “Messi” Willian, whose name sounds like he’s going to be good at soccer.
Willian, born in 2007, is only 17 years old, but along with Endrick, who recently confirmed his move to Real Madrid, he is considered one of the top prospects in Brazil right now. The former teammate of Willian is set to join Real this summer for £52.5 million.
Willian signed a professional contract with Nike, the world’s largest global brand, at the age of 10, and began playing professionally for Brazilian league giants Palmeiras last year after playing for Cruzeiro, making his professional debut in 2023 at the age of 16 years and eight months, the fourth-youngest player in Palmeiras’ history.
In his debut season, he scored two goals in 13 games, and his talent was recognized at the U-17 World Cup, where he scored three goals in five appearances, making a name for himself on the international stage at a tournament that featured some of the best talent in the world.
Willian has already received offers from big European clubs since last year. In January of this year’s European winter transfer window alone, Chelsea, PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), Barcelona, and others were interested in him.
As is often the case with South American prospects, Willian’s specialty is breaking down the flanks off the dribble. Willian is a crack type of player who can change direction while maintaining his pace, and his solid ball control skills allow him to play a wide variety of plays and crack opposing defenses. He also has strong ankle strength at a young age, making his left-footed kicks and crosses quite threatening.
His fluid dribbling runs and left-footed crack are reminiscent of the world’s best soccer player, Lionel Messi, hence the nickname ‘Messinho’, which means ‘little Messi’. It’s interesting that Brazil’s top prospect is nicknamed after Argentina’s greatest soccer player of all time, a country with which Brazil has a love-hate relationship.
João Paulo Sampaio, who coached Willian in the Palmeiras youth team, told FIFA: “The idea of a player of his type is to have the confidence to say, ‘I can do it, I will do it,’ and they make it happen. Players with great talent make everything look 먹튀검증 easy. It’s hard for the average player,” he said, recognizing Willian’s genius.
Willian’s popularity with Europe’s big clubs last year hasn’t waned. Among the clubs that have shown interest in Willian, Chelsea, who are willing and able to pay a huge transfer fee, are reportedly willing to spend big to sign him.
According to South American outlet UOL, “Chelsea have decided to join the race for Willian and will soon make a formal offer of €30 million to Palmeiras. Chelsea are willing to pay an additional €20 million, which could bring the total amount spent up to €55 million ($804 million).”
The reason why Palmeiras can afford to put such a high price tag on the 17-year-old is that Willian still has a lot of time left on his contract. According to UOL, Willian’s contract with Palmeiras runs through 2026. It’s a chance for Palmeiras to rake in another big transfer fee after Endrick.