Sports
It’s too much pressure – Maresca dismisses Willian Estevao and Lamine Yamal comparisons to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca insisted it was much too early to predict a battle for supremacy between Willian Estevao and Lamine Yamal similar to that fought for many years by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi, 38, and Ronaldo, 40, are still going strong with Inter Miami and Al-Nassr, respectively, but their time as the two best footballers of their generation is coming to an end.
Last night was billed as the first time fans got to see their potential replacements with Chelsea hosting Barcelona in the Champions League.
On the night it was no contest, both individually and collectively, as Estevao starred in Chelsea’s 3-0 win, scoring a wonderful goal and providing the offensive spark for the home team throughout.
Cucurella tames Yamal
Yamal showed the occasional flash of his genius but was largely anonymous, played out of the game by Spain team-mate Marc Cucurella.
Asked if Estevao and Yamal, who are both 18, are destined to be the next two global superstars, Maresca said: “He and Lamine are very young, so if you start talking about Messi and Ronaldo – it is too much pressure.
“They need to enjoy their football. It’s too much for them to be compared with Messi and Ronaldo.
“He [Estevao] needs to relax, enjoy playing football and the training sessions.”
Estevao certainly enjoyed last night, with the best moment his jinking run and finish that put Chelsea 2-0 up against a Barca side reduced to 10 men by the dismissal of defender Ronald Araujo.
“I don’t really have any words to sum up how I’m feeling right now. It really was the perfect night,” Estevao told Amazon Prime.
“It all happened very quickly for me, it sort of happened before I knew it. I just found some space, wriggled my way through and then scored that goal. It was such a special moment for me in my career. I hope to score many more.
“It was definitely the best moment of my career so far.”
Yamal was in Cucurella’s pocket, teases Sanchez
Of the two, Yamal is further on in his development having already played a starring role as Barcelona claimed a domestic double last season while, on the international stage, he was a central figure as Spain won Euro 2024.
But Cucurella was an emphatic winner in their personal duel last night. The former Barca B full-back, who had to leave his native Catalonia in search of regular first-team football, never gave his teenage opponent an inch of room, snapping into tackles with impressive intensity.
“He had him in his pocket,” Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez said.
Yamal will come again – he is too good not to – but this was Estevao’s night.
