“Such a great player” – Chelsea star believes they have their own Lamine Yamal

Chelsea defender Jorrel Hato has paid high praise to in-form Blues wonderkid Estevao Willian after his performance in the win over Ajax last night.

Chelsea thrashed their Champions League opponents 5-1 at Stamford Bridge, with Estevao among the scorers in this youthful CFC side.

Enzo Maresca made a lot of changes from the line up he used in his last Premier League match, and it saw Chelsea have three different teenagers on the score sheet.

Estevao really stole the show, though, and Hato hailed him as a “great player” when he spoke in the mixed zone after the game.

Watch below as Hato said he hadn’t seen anyone that good at that age, apart from perhaps Lamine Yamal…

? Jorrel Hato: “Have I seen a teenager as good as Estevao? Maybe Lamine Yamal…” ?? pic.twitter.com/hIXhEz5trU

— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) October 23, 2025

“He was really good today again,” Hato said of Estevao.

“Very young, he’s even younger than me, but such a great player.

“Have I seen another teenager like this? Maybe Lamine Yamal, but I cannot name other names.”

It might be a bit premature comparing Estevao to a proven world class talent like Yamal, who has already starred in a lot of top-level matches despite only turning 18 this summer.

The Barcelona and Spain star has scored 28 goals in 113 games for the Barca first-team, winning La Liga twice, as well as the Copa del Rey.

Yamal also has six goals in 23 senior caps for the Spanish national team, playing a key role in their Euro 2024 final victory just over a year ago.

This is also a player who finished runner-up in this year’s Ballon d’Or, so Estevao still has some way to go to catch up with him.

Still, there’s no doubt the Brazilian has made a brilliant start to life at Stamford Bridge, and it’s high praise indeed that Hato is comparing him to someone like Yamal.

With a bit more time, it should become clearer if Estevao is also someone who can reach that kind of level.

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