Brazil assistant coach Davide Ancelotti has tipped Chelsea’s 18-year-old winger Estevao Willian to be the shock package deal on the summer time’s World Cup.
Former Bayern Munich and Actual Madrid assistant supervisor Ancelotti will likely be a part of his father Carlo’s Brazil teaching workers on the event going down in america, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July.
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“The man that may shock you is somebody that isn’t so well-known,” Ancelotti instructed BBC Radio 5 Stay’s podcast.
“We’ve got a whole lot of attacking gamers. We’ve got a whole lot of expertise and a whole lot of completely different profiles. And if I’ve to offer you a reputation, Estevao is among the rising skills of Brazil.”
The extremely rated teenager has scored eight objectives and supplied 4 assists in 34 appearances for Chelsea after becoming a member of from Palmeiras final summer time for an preliminary price of £29m, .
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Estevao missed Brazil’s latest friendlies towards France and Croatia having solely returned from a hamstring damage for Chelsea towards Everton proper earlier than the worldwide break on 21 March.
However he was on the scoresheet in Chelsea’s within the FA Cup quarter-final final weekend.
“He’s a extremely huge expertise,” stated Ancelotti of Estevao, who made his Brazil debut on the age of 17 in September 2024 and has 5 objectives in 11 caps.
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“He’s a extremely good finisher, so he’s somebody that may dominate in Europe as a expertise for the following years.”
‘Neymar nonetheless has an opportunity’
Davide Ancelotti has been Carlo’s assistant at Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, Actual Madrid and now Brazil [Getty Images]
Earlier than transferring to England, Estevao scored 27 objectives and supplied 15 assists in 83 video games for Palmeiras, surpassing Brazil legend Neymar’s file at Santos to turn into the primary under-18 participant to file a mixed 20 objectives and assists within the Brazilian prime flight.
However Estevao’s hopes of taking part in a World Cup alongside his childhood idol stays a doubt after Neymar, 33, was neglected of Brazil’s final set of friendlies earlier than their World Cup squad is introduced.
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The previous Barcelona and Paris St-Germain attacker returned to Santos in January 2025 and helped his boyhood membership keep away from relegation final season, however has not performed for Brazil since 2023 amid his struggles with accidents.
He was resulting from make his return to the nationwide workforce final 12 months after a 17-month absence however was pressured to withdraw from the squad with a muscle damage.
“On the finish, it’s a resolution of the supervisor that he’ll take and he has time to take it,” Ancelotti stated.
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“The ultimate record will likely be out on 18 Might. After all, he’s the highest scorer of the nationwide workforce and he has an opportunity. He has a time to do his finest and attempt to get into the record.”
Neymar has 79 objectives in 128 appearances, eclipsing greats like Pele, Ronaldo, Romario and Zico.
‘Vinicius finest participant on the earth’
Vinicius has gained three La Liga titles and the Champions League twice with Actual Madrid [Getty Images]
One participant who will carry Brazil’s World Cup hopes on his shoulders is Vinicius Jr.
The ahead has eight objectives in 47 appearances for Brazil and has been influential for Actual Madrid once more this marketing campaign with 11 objectives in La Liga and 5 extra within the Champions League.
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“Vinicius is a soccer star due to his expertise,” Ancelotti stated.
“He is one of the proficient gamers on the earth, so he carries this weight as a result of everybody expects him to win the sport alone and the expectations on him are greater than another participant – possibly solely Kylian Mbappe proper now.”
The 25-year-old has additionally needed to take care of discrimination since transferring to Spain, the place he has confronted 20 incidents of alleged abuse in eight years.
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got here in Actual Madrid’s Champions League knockout section play-off tie at Benfica in February, following which the Brazilian winger stated “racists are cowards”.
“Having a supervisor like my father is absolutely good – in being near the celebrities,” the Brazil assistant stated.
“We simply targeted on what he [Vinicius] may enhance and he has room for enchancment. Even when he is probably the greatest, possibly private opinion, the most effective participant on the earth, however everybody has room for enchancment.
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“So we give attention to that as a result of we’ve got a supervisor who’s a specialist in making stars not really feel alone and he all the time did that with stars like Didier Drogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski.”
Ancelotti, 36, final season earlier than taking over his first managerial function at Brazilian aspect Botafago – solely to be sacked 5 months later in December 2025.
The Italian, nevertheless, has continued to work along with his father, after 4 years at Actual Madrid, the place he gained three Champions League titles and two La Liga titles over two spells.
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5-time World Cup winners Brazil haven’t lifted the trophy since their final triumph in 2002 however Ancelotti believes the Selecao “will likely be prepared for the World Cup”.
“It is going to be troublesome as a result of it will likely be after a extremely lengthy season,” stated Ancelotti.
“There are gamers that may attain the World Cup with greater than 60 video games and this isn’t good. It is going to be not good for the present or the individuals which are watching.
“So we’ll maintain the gamers bodily. It is going to be necessary as a result of the climate will likely be so scorching. It is going to be a contest that will likely be determined by small particulars.
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“However I can say that we’ve got a extremely aggressive workforce that may play soccer that may very well be environment friendly in a contest like that. So we’re optimistic.”
Brazil will face Morocco of their World Cup opener on 13 June in New Jersey earlier than taking up Scotland and Haiti in Group C.