It’s very rare, but I managed to plan in advance to sit quietly on the sofa to watch a Champions League game, in the fifth of the eight rounds of the Group – in the current regulations, in the qualifying stage there is a single group with 36 teams.
Chelsea x Barcelona, at Stamford Bridge, in London, had the attraction of being a clash between two of the best teams in Europe: the first FIFA Super World Cup champion, playing at home, against the current Spanish champion, synonymous with quality football.
More than that, it happened to be the first duel between two players who represent the best in the new generation of football forwards: the slender, skinny and left-handed right-wingers Lamine Yamal, a Spaniard from Barça, and Estêvão, a Brazilian from the Azuis.
It happened to be because Yamal is an absolute starter for the Catalan team, inheriting 10 from Lionel Messi, and Estêvão is trying to convince Italian coach Enzo Maresca that he can be at Chelsea.
So, it was a joy when I saw the former Palmeirense player (he’s missed, isn’t he, Palestine fan?) enter the field wearing his usual number 41 shirt.
The expectation became enormous. Even to see if what others have declared, and which I see myself far from declaring, would be proven: that Yamal and Estêvão are ball geniuses.
“A new football genius, very young, emerging” said Sami Trabelsi, Tunisia’s coach, about the Brazilian. In the friendly between Brazil and Tunisia, this month, Estêvão played well and scored, with a penalty, the goal for Carlo Ancelotti’s team in the 1-1 in Lille (France).
“There are players who are exceptional, and Lamine is one of them. I always say: he is a genius,” said German Hansi Flick, Barcelona coach, in May, after yet another performance well above Yamal’s average.
With these conclusions, I expected to see fabulous plays from the two young men who came of age this year. Estêvão, born in Franca (SP), turned 18 on April 24th, and Yamal, from Esplugues de Llobregat (Greater Barcelona), on July 13th.
That wasn’t what happened, especially on the side of the hottest athlete.
Chelsea exerted almost total control over the visitor after just over ten minutes of the first half, and Yamal took little part in the match.
He found himself nullified by the tough marking of his compatriot Cucurella and finished just once, from distance, for an effortless save by goalkeeper Sánchez, another compatriot.
No magic move. Time passed and, with the adverse score, the chosen best young player of the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 seasons in the Ballon d’Or awards seemed to lose interest in the game.
On the other side, Estêvão was better. Participative, he took corners, free kicks and, with an excellent pass behind the defense, left Pedro Neto in a clear goal situation. The Portuguese “isolated”.
In the second half, then, Estêvão had a brilliant moment. In the 10th minute, he received a pass at the edge of the area and, at speed, invaded it, pursued by Cubarsí and Balde.
With a short dribble, he bent the first, advanced the ball with his right foot (the “bad one”) and, from the edge of the small area, with the same right foot, before the arrival of the second, who was throwing himself into a desperate cart, he “shot” goalkeeper Joan García.
A goal with a finish similar to the one he had scored in the match in which Palmeiras lost to Chelsea (2-1) in the Supermundial, in July.
Wide celebration, and Estêvão is “registering” one of his own, with his tongue half out of his mouth, resting right between his lips.
It was the English team’s second goal. The first, it should be noted, was validated after the VAR (video referee) check did not identify Cucurella’s offside play, which my eyes swear it was.
Then, Chelsea extended it to 3-0, and Yamal, without a single glimpse of Yamal, was substituted in the 34th minute to sit, looking lost, on the Barça bench.
Two minutes later, Estêvão left, applauded. A boy in the stands held a poster with his image and the Brazilian flag. He pointed to the photo as if to say, “Look. This is the guy.”
This October 25, 2025, he went. Far from being a genius, Estêvão had a wide advantage over the also non-genius Yamal – geniuses are Pelé, Garrincha, Maradona, Messi and a few others.
In the first clash between them, Estêvão was ahead: 1 to 0. There will be others.
