Brazil has always been viewed as a breeding ground for developing the brightest young stars in football and the conveyor belt that lies within the Brazilian factory of talents has produced its next top star.
The latest magician off their production line in South America is Estevao Willian, who will showcase his talents in the Premier League next season after being snapped up by Chelsea for an initial £28million in June.
Just 17 years old, Estevao has already made shockwaves within Brazil after dazzling fans with an array of spectacular displays in his first season with Palmeiras and is dubbed 'Messinho', which in English means 'Little Messi', although he is not a fan of the nickname.
Europe's biggest clubs all queued up for the Brazilian wonderkid's signature during the summer, with the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City, and Paris-Saint Germain, all in a fight to land the star.
However, the lure of Chelsea proved too strong and the tricky winger decided to snub many of football's most decorated clubs in order to move to Stamford Bridge in 2025 when he turns 18.
Estevao Willian is Brazil's next big superstar after shining for Palmeiras at just 17 years of age
Estevao will arrive at Chelsea and play under head coach Enzo Maresca from next season
The tricky winger is dubbed 'Messinho', which in English means 'Little Messi' due to his skills
Estevao's journey began in the countryside of Sao Paulo. He was born in Franca in April 2007, and it didn't take long before the tricky winger's talents were pried away from his home state.
He was only 10 years old when he was picked up by Cruzeiro, a team who hail from Belo Horizonte, who reportedly offered up to 10 times more money than his current club Palmeiras to sign the winger.
At the same age, he made history. Estevao became the youngest Brazilian in history to sign a deal with major sports brand, Nike, eclipsing Rodrygo and Neymar Jr, who signed at the ages of 11 and 13 respectively.
Overnight he was launched into global stardom. Media organisations in Brazil and the wider world picked up his story and fans took notice. Comparisons to Neymar - who has called him a 'genius' - then began due to his spellbinding dribbling ability.
With Estevao's new-found popularity came heaps of pressure, which has seen many young stars crack in the past. But not this one. His hype only grew when he made the move to Palmeiras in 2021.
He broke into the senior set-up during the 2023-24 season, but it's this campaign where the rising star is really showing what he is all about. Estevao has netted nine goals and provided seven assists in all competitions in 22 appearances this calendar year.
His tally of 16 goal involvements equals that of Neymar's at the same age, with the former Barcelona and PSG star scoring 10 times and assisting six while playing for Santos in 2009.
Estevao made the move to Palmeiras at the age of 14 and had success with the youth teams
The now 17-year-old's record of 16 goal involvements in 2024 equals that of Neymar's at the same age
Estevao's achievements have been credited to his natural ability and mental strength. His impact at Palmerias has even had coach Abel Ferreira - a man of few words - left in disbelief.
Speaking in March, Ferreira said: 'He is different from anything I've ever seen in football. He knows how to attack, defend, take the game on, dribble.
'He's focused, he has a good family, everyone cares for him at the club and the older players talk to him a lot.'
Estevao's family has been with the youngster every step of the way, following his every move as the Brazilian winger's career takes off.
When he signed for Cruzeiro aged 10, his father, mother, and sister, all packed up and moved 280 miles from Franca to Belo Horizonte. They will do the same once again when the winger moves to London next summer.
Estevao's father is a church pastor and has been by his side throughout his rise, taking him to every training session and watching him from the stands as he takes to the pitch each week.
Seen as a modest character, Estevao's humility has been credited to his father by Antonio Augusto de Araujo, the coach for his school team in Belo Horizonte.
Estevao's family have supported him through his career and are credited for his humility
The winger's popularity has skyrocketed over the past year and he has amassed nearly two million Instagram followers
'His father took care of him and knew what he had to deal with,' Augusto told The Athletic. '[He] is the one who took the lead more, telling Estevao off more, managing it all more.'
Brazil has seen plenty of talent rise to stardom throughout the years, but the hype has never been higher than it is now for Estevao. The feeling within South America is that he could follow in the footsteps of Pele, Zico, and Ronaldinho as one of the greats.
'Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar,' Joao Paulo Sampaio, the head of Palmeiras' academy, told BBC Sport. 'You watch him and you fall in love.
'He already impresses with his technique but, like Neymar at this same point in his career, he has not yet matured physically and is not as strong as Endrick, so he could still develop a lot. That's what amazes everyone and makes them think that he will reach a much higher level.'
At the time of writing, the youngster has 1.7m followers on Instagram. He has amassed over a million fans since signing for Chelsea in June, with his popularity skyrocketing day by day.
The rise of his popularity is being likened to that of his former team-mate Endrick, whose stock grew in a similar fashion when he was signed by Real Madrid at just 16 years old, before finally making the move this summer.
Estevao will follow former team-mate Endrick (right) to Europe after his move to Real Madrid
The 17-year-old has broken into the Brazil senior team making his debut against Ecuador
Just like Endrick, Estevao has already made his senior debut for the national team. He was a 61st-minute substitute against Ecuador in the latest international break and also came on in a 1-0 loss to Paraguay.
It comes as little surprise that Estevao is already testing his abilities on the international scene, his qualities are that of many superstar Brazilians of the past.
Just like Messi, he has a wand of a left foot, and like the Argentine and his compatriot Neymar, traffic on the pitch does not seem to faze the young right winger. He is known for his confidence on the ball and willingness to take on defences.
Estevao has superb ball control which allows him to play as an attacking midfielder at times, but his best asset is his exciting ball-carrying ability, aided by his pace, which comes in handy on the wing.
The controls he makes are incredible and his speed with the ball is amazing, Sampaio told AS. 'The Palmeiras photographer took a sequence of 100 photos of him running with the ball and in all of them he came out with the ball stuck to his left foot.'
Estevao's creative skills partnered with his mature personality have rightly got Chelsea fans excited about seeing him in blue next year.
While Enzo Maresca already has a lot on his plate as he molds his current Chelsea squad into top-four challenging shape, he still finds time to keep an eye on the soon-to-be Blues starlet.
Estevao is known for his dribbling ability and he likes to take on defenders with regularity
Estevao will be fighting with Noni Maudeke (left) and Pedro Neto (right) for Chelsea's right wing spot
Speaking after Chelsea's 1-0 win away at Bournemouth, Maresca said: 'Yes, we are following him. He is doing fantastic - but, unfortunately, he is doing fantastic there and not with us.
'We are going to wait until next summer when he will arrive here but, for sure, we are very happy in the way he is doing these things.'
With Estevao hoping to make the Brazil squad for the World Cup in 2026, his first season at Chelsea will be vital.
If his performances in the last year are anything to go by, Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto will have to stay on their toes if they want to continue to accrue minutes when Estevao comes along.