Estevao has conducted an exclusive interview on Brazilian youtube channel Placar TV and we have the full, most interesting quotes translated directly here for you, with the help of our friend @perro_chelsea over on X.
Q: On whether he thought about staying a little longer at Palmeiras before making the move to Europe, would it be a big jump?
“Every kid’s dream is to play in the Champions League, to play in Europe for the best clubs in the world and the best players in the world and I know I have the potential to get the best out of myself, and for sure, God willing, to be in the World Cup, and be the best in the world.”
Q: “I can see that you don’t own an earring or a watch. You’re different from the footballer that we see. your football seems to speak louder and that’s why we wanted to open the mind of this player who is 17 years old and is already considered a star.” (What can you tell us about yourself)
“Estêvão is a very reserved person, a simple person who takes most of the time to be with his family, with those I feel good and confident. I try to talk to them a lot, and he’s a guy who enjoys playing football which is what he does best and plays with joy”
Q: “You are often called Messinho, is there any similarity between Messi and Estêvão?”
“Lionel Messi is a reference for me, both in my personal life and in football, he is a reserved person who is always with his family and tries to be as simple as possible and that is something I am looking for myself too, to be simple, more humble’’
Q: “You said several times that your dream was to play for Barcelona, what changed?”
“I think that ever since I was a little boy I’ve always followed Barcelona, I think more because of Messi and Neymar who are references to me and I’m very happy that other teams are interested in following me for my football and I think that when Chelsea’s offer came in I think it was a very good proposal in which we talked to my parents. My agents talked to my parents and I think it is a very good project and it has everything to work out, God willing.”
Q: “What did you see in this project that caught your attention?”
“Chelsea is in a spectacular city like London and plays in the strongest league in the world and is among the best in the world. I think it’s even better that they now have a young team and are giving opportunities to young people. I’m sure we’ve chosen the right team“
Q: “Maresca is the new coach of Chelsea, he made a series of comments about you, did you see those comments, were you surprised or had you already had contact with him?”
“I’m very happy that he said he follows my development here in Brazil as much as I follow their development in the Premier League, I follow Chelsea a lot and I’m very happy that they follow me and are watching my development”
Q: “Who is your favourite Chelsea player? Current or former?”
“Palmer, an exceptional guy with spectacular talent, and previously I think Willian, who played there, and Hazard too. Thiago Silva, one of the greatest players in world football to have played for Chelsea.”
Q: “Is Hazard one of your references as a player?”
“Of course, for everything he’s done, for his dribbling, his directness and all that.”
Q: Asking about Kendry Paez..
“In the Libertadores they had already negotiated (Chelsea and Kendry Paez), but I still hadn’t defined the details. In the last game with Brazil I met him in Ecuador and we talked a lot about the English language, how difficult it will be to adapt there, but I think we have everything we need to do well there”
“He came over and asked me how I was feeling and asked me if I was studying English and I said that I was finding it very difficult and he said that it was very boring but that he was learning too and then he said that he wanted to go to Chelsea soon and he wanted to experience Europe and I said that we’d be there soon.”
Q: (On Paez again) – “You have similar characteristics, do you think he is a competitor in your position or do you think you can play together?”
“I certainly think we can play together, he plays more centrally and nowadays I play more on the wing, I certainly think we can play together and it will be a good, healthy rivalry.”
Q: “What can you tell us about your style of play? Do you prefer to score or to assist?”
“I’m not a fast winger, I’m not a strong winger, I’m more of a technical winger, I’m more of a skilful winger; I’m more of a playmaker, and of course I’m happy to create and assist or score and play in any way that contributes to victory.”
You can also find the full video on Youtube at Placar TV.
Via the Guardian, Estevao also talked a bit more..
“When I signed for Chelsea, the next day I scored a goal and celebrated like Palmer. His celebration was trend, very popular, we talked on social media, I tagged him on Instagram, he called me a star, I said he’s a star too. He said we’re going to do a lot of great things together for Chelsea.”
“In shooting training at Brazil, I started to hit all the shots and Alisson got a bit angry. He said he was still warming up, that I should wait a little bit. But I took it a bit seriously and scored many goals against him, He took it all in jest, but I hope that next year I can do again against him in Premier League matches. We’ll see a lot of each other in England.”
“I decided on Chelsea because of their planning. I was very pleased with that, 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.”
