Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca insisted it was a lot too early to foretell a battle for supremacy between Willian Estevao and Lamine Yamal much like that fought for a few years by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi, 38, and Ronaldo, 40, are nonetheless going robust with Inter Miami and Al-Nassr, respectively, however their time as the 2 finest footballers of their technology is coming to an finish.
Final night time was billed as the primary time followers received to see their potential replacements with Chelsea internet hosting Barcelona within the Champions League.
On the night time it was no contest, each individually and collectively, as Estevao starred in Chelsea’s 3-0 win, scoring a beautiful aim and offering the offensive spark for the house group all through.
Cucurella tames Yamal
Yamal confirmed the occasional flash of his genius however was largely nameless, performed out of the sport by Spain team-mate Marc Cucurella.
Requested if Estevao and Yamal, who’re each 18, are destined to be the subsequent two world superstars, Maresca mentioned: “He and Lamine are very younger, so should you begin speaking about Messi and Ronaldo – it’s an excessive amount of strain.
“They should take pleasure in their soccer. It’s an excessive amount of for them to be in contrast with Messi and Ronaldo.
“He [Estevao] must calm down, take pleasure in enjoying soccer and the coaching periods.”
Estevao definitely loved final night time, with the perfect second his jinking run and end that put Chelsea 2-0 up towards a Barca facet decreased to 10 males by the dismissal of defender Ronald Araujo.
“I don’t actually have any phrases to sum up how I’m feeling proper now. It actually was the proper night time,” Estevao informed Amazon Prime.
“All of it occurred in a short time for me, it kind of occurred earlier than I knew it. I simply discovered some area, wriggled my approach by after which scored that aim. It was such a particular second for me in my profession. I hope to attain many extra.
“It was positively the perfect second of my profession to this point.”
Yamal was in Cucurella’s pocket, teases Sanchez
Of the 2, Yamal is additional on in his growth having already performed a starring function as Barcelona claimed a home double final season whereas, on the worldwide stage, he was a central determine as Spain gained Euro 2024.
However Cucurella was an emphatic winner of their private duel final night time. The previous Barca B full-back, who needed to go away his native Catalonia in the hunt for common first-team soccer, by no means gave his teenage opponent an inch of room, snapping into tackles with spectacular depth.
“He had him in his pocket,” Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez mentioned.
Yamal will come once more – he’s too good to not – however this was Estevao’s night time.
