Teenage winger Estêvão has said he feels fulfilled after realising his long-time dream of scoring his first Champions League goal.
Estêvão, 18, became Chelsea’s youngest-ever scorer in Europe’s elite club competition when he converted a penalty in his team’s 5-1 win over 10-man Ajax on Wednesday.
“I’m so happy with this first Champions League goal,” Estêvão told TNT Sport.
“I’m so happy, there’s no other way to describe it. I dreamed about this moment for a long time, and thank God it’s here. I feel so fulfilled and happy.”
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca handed Estêvão his first Champions League start on Wednesday with the Blues’ summer signing having come off the bench in the 1-0 win over Benfica and the 3-1 loss at Bayern Munich.
“When I found out that I would be playing [from the start], I didn’t even sleep in the afternoon,” Estêvão said.
“I usually sleep in the afternoon to be in good shape, but the anxiety got the best of me and I couldn’t even sleep. I’m thrilled to be playing for Chelsea, having opportunities, knowing that the coach trusts me, I’m very happy.”
Estêvão praised teammate Enzo Fernández for his generosity in allowing him to take Chelsea’s second penalty of the night, which the Brazilian had earned.
With Cole Palmer still out injured, Fernandez is Chelsea’s designated penalty taker and had scored his team’s third goal from the penalty spot.
“Enzo [Fernández] is a fantastic guy,” Estêvão said. “He gave me the opportunity to take the penalty. I didn’t expect him to let me take it because he had scored the first one, I thought, ‘He’s going to want another one.’ But I looked at him, he gave me the ball, and I was very happy.
“This really reflects our group, very united, very hard-working, we help each other. I’m very happy to have helped Chelsea.”
Maresca said after the game he feels “lucky” to manage Estêvão and thinks the Brazilian teenager could follow in the footsteps of Palmer to excel in the Chelsea first team.
Estêvão, who moved to Chelsea in the summer in an initial £29 million ($39m) transfer from Palmeiras, said he believes he is in the right environment to continue growing.
“I’m very grateful for what Chelsea is doing on an off the pitch to make me feel at home,” he said.
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“I feel at home, happy, supported. I’m happy with the help of the coach, the coaching staff, my teammates, the club executives, who all have helped me adapt as fast as possible.”
Estêvão, who scored his first goal for Brazil in a 3-0 win against Chile in last month’s World Cup qualifier, knows he has plenty of work to do if he is to fulfil another dream, that of playing at the 2026 World Cup.
“Of course it’s the aim and dream of every player to represent your country in the World Cup,” he said. “I’m working hard here, fighting every day. I’m definitely going to work hard.”
