New Chelsea attacker Estevao hurts Palmeiras fans with final action at Club World Cup

It is always important to remember that Estevao is only 18 years old. At that age, none of the readers of this or any other Trivela article were worth more than £46.6m, had been Palmeiras’ main player for over a year, or were about to move to London to wear the Chelsea shirt.

Because of that, imagining what is going through his head is an impossible task. Just as it is unfair to demand a maturity from him that he cannot possibly demonstrate.

Estevao even tried to explain how he felt, in a burst of brutal honesty.

"It's very difficult, it's a dream I'm going to realise, knowing that I have to focus here (on the Club World Cup) and work. It's not easy, you have to keep your head here.

"The closer it gets, the more anxiety sets in, the butterflies in my stomach. I'm trying to focus as much as possible here to leave strong, with my head held high, through the front door, knowing that I gave my all," he said, after the 2-2 draw with Inter Miami in the group stage.

Estevao excelled for Palmeiras at Club World Cup

Even so, Palmeiras’ number 41 left the pitch with the Man of the Match award in three of the team’s five Club World Cup games: Porto (0-0), Al Ahly (2-0), and Chelsea, in the quarter-finals (1-2).

For what he did in the tournament, and especially in the last game, Estevao will start his career in English football with his value on the rise. He gave a first-class calling card to his future teammates.

He tormented Cucurella, argued and did not back down from Enzo Fernandez or Pedro Neto. He played his final match for Palmeiras as if he were not about to join the opposing team in less than a month.

The English press loved what they saw.

The farewell against his future team, with a goal and brilliant football, could have been the perfect ending to Estevao’s time at the club.

The imperfection of the goodbye began with Weverton’s mistake, which led to the elimination goal, just as Palmeiras were on top. But the striker’s individual farewell could still have been salvaged.

However, a completely off-key press conference, largely fuelled by coach Abel Ferreira, it must be said, left an even more bitter taste after the elimination.

Journalist Felippe Facincani, reporting from the US for TV Gazeta, asked Estevao what the team lacked to overcome the English side. If something more was missing. If he, Estevao, could have done something differently.

Estevao press conference has led to a backlash

The striker, sitting next to Abel Ferreira, looked at the coach, and the two, covering their mouths to hide what they were saying, laughed.

"What do you think was missing? Well, I won't open my heart because last time you played the other way. But one thing my dad and Abel tell me is to give my all on the field. And that's what I did. I helped the team with a goal, but we won't be able to win every day. Now it's time to move forward. I'll be cheering for Palmeiras, and it was an immense honour to be part of this group," he replied.

The irritation is understandable. The laughter, however, left much of the fanbase with a sense of mockery. Something like “cracking a joke at a funeral.”

Trivela reached out to Palmeiras to better understand the situation. Sources said that Estevao cried before and after the press conference. And that the laughter was a nervous reaction to a question considered provocative.

That may well be the case. Because everyone at the club says that Estevao is a good kid. Unlike Endrick, who was shaped by media training, Estevao is seen as spontaneous.

But his and Abel’s laughter stung. Especially after John Arias nearly broke down in tears following Fluminense’s elimination by the same Chelsea in the semifinal (2-0). The comparison was inevitable.

Estevao, in his last image as a Palmeiras player, left the stage with a bad impression for many. One that neither the fans nor Estevao deserved after so many good moments together. An image that, above all, does not reflect the quality of his football or the character he showed in his four years at the club.

This article was originally published on Trivela.

Written by
Matt Law