"He is the ‘different’ Brazilian" - Barcelona legend Deco names Chelsea bound star as next big thing in Brazilian football

Former Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Deco has tipped Estevao Willian to be the next big star to emerge from Brazil in the coming years. The teenager has been fantastic for his boyhood club Palmerias since he broke into the first team. He is set to join the Blues this summer after an impressive showing at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup.

Speaking with former Barca striker Romario in a recent interview, Deco said via BarcaUniversal:

“Of the young Brazilians? Estevao, he is the ‘different’ Brazilian. They have it all. The Brazilian U-20 team that won the South American Championship has two or three very good players. Fluminense also have some.”

“Everyone thinks about quality when they talk about Brazil, about their national team. They think about Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Romario, Ronaldinho, and Neymar. But in recent years, Brazil hasn’t been the big favourite in a World Cup.”

Deco spent two years with the west London side after joining from Barcelona in the summer of 2008 for a reported €10 million fee. He currently works as the sporting director of the Catalonian outfit.

Meanwhile, Estevao is expected to complete a reported €34 million move to the Blues from Palmerias this month.

New Chelsea signing tipped to move to Barcelona or Real Madrid

Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney has tipped new Blues signing Joao Pedro to potentially sign for Barcelona or Real Madrid. The Brazilian recently completed a move from Brighton & Hove Albion to West London for a reported €63.7 million.

In a recent discussion on TalkSPORT, Deeney praised the 23-year-old’s ability, saying via Football365:

“He’ll bring an intensity – that’s what Joao will bring. He’s obviously an exceptional football player. If Chelsea start competing both in the Champions League and in the Premier League, he will be part of that vehicle. When you look at the Brazilian national team, it’s not as strong as some of the teams we’ve seen over the years so he will look at that and say ‘Yes I can do that (get in the team)’.”

“I think if he does well for two years there [Chelsea], Real Madrid and Barcelona will come knocking and Chelsea have a model of buying young and selling on for more than what they paid for. We were just talking about the social media clips Chelsea have put up on training and he’s throwing his weight around already.”

Joao Pedro is already Premier League tested after an impressive stint with the Seagulls that saw him bag 30 goals and 10 assists in 70 appearances.

About the author

Patrick is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda covering news and transfer rumors. A Business Administration graduate with a professional experience of 10 years, one of his earliest childhood memories is watching Calabar Rovers play at the U.J. Esuene Stadium with his father, with whom, he connects with, discussing the beautiful game.

Patrick’s favorite team is Manchester United for their unparallelled legacy and success in the game. He is a big admirer of Michael Carrick and his ‘smooth’ style of play back in the days. His favorite manager is Jose Mourinho, who according to him, brought a ‘swagger’ to football with his unique managerial style. Robin van Persie’s title-winning volley against Aston Villa for the 2013 PL triumph is etched in his memory forever.

Patrick always uses trusted outlets that produce accurate, balanced and fair information, and which present multiple point of views. He believes in reporting in a holistic manner for the readers’ benefit. If he could change a football rule, he would increase the number of substitutions allowed due to the high number of games played these days, to reduce injuries and so that youngsters get to show their talent as well.

When not covering football, Patrick loves reading, writing poems and short stories, and spend time with his dog Lana.

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Edited by Aditya Singh