Estevao vs Lamine Yamal: How wonderkids compare before Chelsea vs Barcelona showdown | OneFootball

Teenage prodigies will go head to head in huge Champions League tie at Stamford Bridge

Tuesday’s Champions League showdown between Chelsea and Barcelona pits two of Europe’s finest young talents against each other.

No one is in any doubt about the talent that Yamal possesses, but for Estevao, Tuesday’s match is an opportunity to show that he belongs at the top table after a promising start.

Standard Sport compares the two players ahead of a crunch clash...

Goal threat

Estevao is steadily growing into a player capable of being a consistent goal threat for Chelsea.

Yamal, though, has proven for three years now that he thrives on the responsibility of being Barcelona and Spain’s main attacking outlet.

Despite an injury-hit season so far, Yamal has remarkably still managed to rack up 14 goal involvements across all competitions.

By comparison, Estevao has a modest five goal involvements in 10 appearances for Chelsea.

The former Palmeiras star has some way to go before he can claim to be as prolific in front of goal as Yamal, but there are signs that Estevao is finding his feet, especially in the Champions League, where he has two goals in his last two games.

It is difficult to directly compare Yamal and Estevao due to the way they are being used at their respective clubs - Estevao is more of an impact player, while Yamal is Barcelona’s talisman.

That said, it is clear that after three seasons playing at the highest level for club and country, Yamal is confident taking ownership in possession and dictating play with his passing.

Yamal has mastered the ability to play a ‘trivela’ pass with the outside of his left boot and is just as comfortable laying on opportunities for team-mates as he is scoring goals - he completes 2.38 passes into the penalty area per90, according to FBref.

Estevao, by contrast, comes alive with his movement, latching on to opportunities rather than creating them himself - his 1.58 passes into the penalty area per90 pales in comparison to Yamal.

That, though, is not to say that Estevao lacks creativity. Far from it.

Had Cole Palmer timed his run a little better in Chelsea’s opening league phase game in the Champions League, Estevao would have had one of the assists of the season against Bayern Munich, threading the eye of a needle with a deft pass into the path of the Englishman.

Palmer and Estevao have struck up a nice understanding, and it’s clear the youngster understands his team-mate’s movement, but also has the ability to find him.

Dribbling

As the more established of the two players, Yamal is also a more accomplished dribbler than Estevao.

However, the two are not worlds away in this department, and both play with a confidence and youthful vigour that instils fear into full-backs.

The pair’s take-on success rates - Yamal is successful in 47 per cent of his take-ons, while Estevao closely follows with 42 per cent - are strikingly similar.

Yamal is more comfortable taking the ball from deep and carrying the charge offensively for Barcelona.

Estevao, meanwhile, is explosive in tight spaces further up the pitch. He waits for the ball to come to him, while Yamal, as Barcelona’s chief threat, is tasked with starting and finishing attacking moves.

With time and confidence, which seems to be growing by the game, Estevao can become that player for Chelsea.

Right now, though, his impact in games is short, sharp and sweet. Chelsea have been right not to burden the young winger, despite the noise around him.

Personality

Yamal’s off-pitch antics have been well-documented and are increasingly dominating the conversation around him right now.

The 18-year-old is acutely aware of his talent and is not afraid to flaunt it, having previously claimed that he aspires to win multiple Ballon d’Or awards during his career.

That has led to accusations of arrogance, but few players have been as supremely talented as Yamal at his age. For a teenager growing up in the spotlight, it is impressive how he has managed to maintain his high standards.

Stories around his life outside of football have not yet impacted his meteoric rise, and that is a testament to his ability to juggle the pressures of life as the game’s next great hope.

Estevao, on the other hand, is just four months into his first season in Europe.

His issues right now are confined merely to the British weather, which Enzo Maresca has said the Brazilian is struggling to get to grips with.

Estevao has been carefully managed so far by Maresca, and the Chelsea coach has previously admitted that it is a credit to his humble and grounded personality that there has been a mutual understanding not to rush his development.