‘They are tremendous talents‘ — Raphinha waxes lyrical about €200m Barcelona wonderkid and Chelsea’s teenage sensation | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to face Chelsea in the Champions League tonight in an encounter that pits two extremely talented and young squads against one another. The paths the two clubs took to assemble these squads may be different, but the ultimate motive is the same.

Interestingly, the two teams also have two of the biggest teenage attacking talents around. If Lamine Yamal is the face of Barcelona and Spain, Estevao is not far from establishing himself as the face of Brazil.

Ahead of the game, Raphinha was asked about the duo, considering he plays with Lamine for his club and Estevao for his country. As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, here is what he said:

“Estevao and Lamine are two players of spectacular level. The next years in their careers, they will be among the best players in the world. I am sure of this because I work with Lamine at the club and with Estevao in the national team.”

“They are tremendous talents. Being at the top depends on them, but they are on the right path to being the best at their clubs and in their national teams. I try to help them with experience, but the talent is theirs, personal. I am sure they are talents who will soar for many years.”

Estevao moved to Chelsea at the beginning of the season, and despite not yet establishing himself as a regular starter for Enzo Maresca, he has already made quite an impact from the bench in a number of games.

Perhaps even more tellingly, the teenager has become a starter for Brazil and has been given the responsibility of taking penalties in a team that includes Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo. That is quite an impact.

Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal’s exploits need no introduction. Easily the biggest talent in world football, the €200 million-rated Spaniard continues to defy logic with rapid development and has the world at his feet at the moment.

Football is lucky to have two talents like Lamine and Estevao break out at the same time, and let us hope they can share the stage for a decade and perhaps more to come.