"Comparing him to Lionel Messi at this stage of his career is obviously madness" - Ex-Chelsea star makes feelings clear on Estevao Willian

Glen Johnson has dismissed comparisons between new Chelsea signing Estevao Willian and Lionel Messi. He believes that the fans are getting ahead of themselves with the nickname, especially at this stage.

Speaking to 888sport, Johnson said he was impressed with Estevao, but called it 'madness' to compare the teenager with Messi. He wants the fans to give the young Brazilian space and time to develop without the pressure of filling the boots of the legendary footballer. He said:

"I haven’t seen a lot of Estêvão at Palmeiras but from what I have seen he’s clearly very technical. In Chelsea’s Club World Cup win against Palmeiras, he scored and you clearly see that he’s got a good footballing brain. He’s still extremely young though, only 18, so for people to be comparing him to Lionel Messi at this stage of his career is obviously madness."

"People are even naming him ‘Little Messi’ – which is slightly getting ahead of themselves. To me, he looks like a fantastic young player with a bright future, but I don’t think anyone has seen enough of him to start putting him in the same bracket as all-time greats. People need to step back and let him do the talking on the pitch and develop his career.”

Estevao Willian was signed by Chelsea last summer, but the Brazilian needed to wait until he turned 18 before making the switch to the United Kingdom. He played his final match for Palmeiras at the FIFA Club World Cup, scoring against the Blues in the 2-1 loss in the quarterfinals.

He also faced Lionel Messi at the FIFA Club World Cup when Palmeiras faced Inter Miami in the group stage. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, despite the MLS side having a 2-0 lead with 10 minutes to go in the game.

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New Chelsea signing Esteveo Willian not happy with Lionel Messi comparison

Estevao Willian spoke to ESPN Brasil in 2024 and admitted that he has been nicknamed 'Messinho' since he was 10 years old. However, he is not interested in the Lionel Messi comparisons and wants to be on his own without any pressure. He said:

"Since I was little, being called Messinho, I confess that I didn't like it. [I have been called that] since I was 10 years old, when playing in the Cruzeiro youth teams. I don't like comparisons. For those who don't know how to deal with it, it's quite disruptive. At 17 years old, I don't have time to waste listening to criticism. I want to be happy, I love playing football, I want to enjoy it to the fullest. Me being Estêvão is very good."

Estevao scored 27 goals and assisted 15 times in his 83 matches for the Palmeiras first team. He is set to join Chelsea after his vacation when the Blues return to Cobham for pre-season training.