Cruzeiro graduates Bicalho and Estevão reunite in Champions League | OneFootball

Two players trained in Cruzeiro's youth academy met this Wednesday (5) on one of the main stages of world football: the Champions League. Midfielder Estevão Willian from Chelsea and defensive midfielder Pedro Bicalho, currently with Qarabag (Azerbaijan), faced each other in a match valid for the fourth round of the group stage, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Estevão was one of the scorers for the English team, while Bicalho started the game among the starters for the Azerbaijani club.

The reunion between the two athletes draws attention because both were trained at Toca da Raposa but left Cruzeiro in different contexts — and even before establishing themselves as professionals at the club.

In 2020, Pedro Bicalho, one of the promising talents of Cruzeiro's Under-20 team, had his contract terminated after an act of indiscipline considered serious by the management. Shortly after, the defensive midfielder signed with Palmeiras, where he joined the youth categories. The athlete played only six matches among the professionals of Raposa before leaving the club.

At Alviverde, he was the captain of the team that won the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior in 2022, but he did not have many opportunities with the professionals, being loaned to Santa Clara-PT, Vitória (Brazil), and Alverca, where he achieved promotion to the Portuguese First Division and later signed with Qarabag, Azerbaijan, where he has already played in 18 of the team's 19 matches this season, starting in 13.

Meanwhile, Estevão Willian, now one of the main promises of Brazilian football, left Cruzeiro in 2021, still very young. At the time, the forward was considered one of the greatest gems of the celeste base, but his departure was surrounded by contractual and administrative issues and he never played for the team's professionals.

According to a report by ge.globo.com, Estevão's case was affected by irregularities in Cruzeiro's youth contracts, which involved the assignment of economic rights percentages of minors to third parties — a practice prohibited by FIFA. In 2019, when the player was still a child, the club signed documents that divided part of his rights between agents and family members.

Estevão's father, who worked at Cruzeiro, was also mentioned in a case of ideological falsehood, which brought even more attention to the episode.

With the end of the formative bond and the possibility of signing a new contract at 14, the player had his name registered with Palmeiras in May 2021, confirming his transfer. In the middle of last year, the athlete was sold by Alviverde to Chelsea for over 60 million euros.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.