Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Neymar Jr? When Willian Estevao named player he considers his reference in football

New Chelsea signing Estevao Willian has named Lionel Messi as his reference in football ahead of Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. The teenage forward is one of the most exciting young talents in the world and met up with his Blues teammates this month.

Meanwhile, Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar are among the finest footballers ever to set foot on Earth. The trio has inspired a generation of young players to take up the beautiful game and continue to be the benchmark of success.

Speaking to Estadio, however, Estevao insisted that he looks up to the Argentine.

"I really like Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. But my reference is Messi for everything he has done for football. My biggest dream is to be the best player in the world. One day I'll be among the best. But I won't promise that I'll achieve this in a few years. It will come naturally," said Estevao.

Interestingly, Estevao has been nicknamed 'Messinho' due to a playing style similar to Lionel Messi. The youngster has also been labelled as the next Neymar and is expected to become one of the best players in the world.

Chelsea struck a deal with Palmeiras for the teenager last year, but he was allowed to continue with the Brazilian side last campaign. Estevao has now joined the Blues' preparations for the new campaign and has already caught the eye in pre-season.

How many trophies have Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar won in their career?

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar have all enjoyed tremendous success in their career. The Brazilian forward has won 30 major trophies in his career with Santos, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Al-Hilal, and his nation.

Those include the LaLiga title, the Champions League, the Ligue 1, the Saudi Pro League, and the FIFA Confederations Cup. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has won 36 trophies in his career so far, including the Champions League, as well as league titles in England, Spain, and Italy.

The 40-year-old has also found success with Portugal, lifting the Euro 2016, and two UEFA Nations League trophies. Lionel Messi, on the other hand, is the most decorated footballer in history, with an astonishing 46 trophies to his name. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has won the Champions League, the LaLiga, the Ligue 1, as well as the Holy Grail of Football, the FIFA World Cup, in 2022.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9500 articles for the website, and has garnered close to 21 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit