Estêvão matches Haaland and Mbappé's Champions League records | OneFootball

Estêvão won the Generation Z duel against Lamine Yamal this Tuesday. Besides scoring a stunning goal, he achieved a feat only Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland had managed at the start of their careers in the Champions League: becoming the third player under 20 years old to score in his first three starts in the competition.

Increasingly a key player in the Chelsea squad, the 18-year-old is already a crucial part of Enzo Maresca's setup, enjoying a career start worthy of a potential global football star. It's no exaggeration to say that number 41 has already become a significant name at Stamford Bridge.

Rising Young Star

At just 18 years and 215 days old, Estêvão joined an elite group: Only Mbappé (18 years, 113 days) and Haaland (19 years, 107 days) had previously reached the milestone of three goals in their first three Champions League starts. The Brazilian is thus the only player outside of Europe to achieve that feat.

His start in England confirms the expectations set while he was at Palmeiras. In 17 matches for Chelsea, he has scored five goals and provided one assist, numbers that demonstrate his quick adaptation. For comparison, Neymar, in his first 17 games for Barcelona, scored five goals and provided eight assists.

The transition to English football was seamless. For Palmeiras earlier in 2025, Estêvão also directly contributed to six goals in his first 17 matches of the season, repeating the same initial impact with the London team.

Maresca quickly realised his potential. The Brazilian came off the bench in his debut against Crystal Palace but was immediately promoted to the starting lineup in the following match. Out of 17 possible matches, he has started eight.

With Chelsea feeling the absence of Cole Palmer, who has been injured for two months, Estêvão has taken on a leading offensive role in the team. Today, he shares the top scorer status at the club with Enzo Fernández, both scoring five goals.

His immediate impact has stirred excitement behind the scenes at the London club. Internally, there is a belief that, within up to three years, Estêvão will be among the top ten players in the world. The trajectory of number 41 seems only to rise.