Neymar responds to Chelsea transfer announcement after perfect message sent

Estevao Willian wrapping up his long-awaited transfer to Chelsea looks to have grabbed the attention of Brazilian icon Neymar Jr.

The Blues first settled terms on a £29 million transfer, potentially rising to £51m due to add-ons, with Brazilian outfit Palmeiras for Estevao, who back then was merely a 16-year-old talent.

He was to officially move to Stamford Bridge following his 18th birthday this spring, which left plenty of time for the young attacker to make strides in his career.

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The beginning of the 2024/25 campaign saw the teenager called up and earn his first cap for the Brazilian national team in FIFA World Cup qualifying. At club level, he went on complete his time at Palmeiras with 27 goals and 15 assists in 83 appearances.

The last of those contributions came during the recent FIFA Club World Cup, including a goal against eventual winners Chelsea at the quarter final stage.

Now with Enzo Maresca's side returned for pre-season training looking ahead to the start of the Premier League in less than two weeks, Estevao has been announced wearing the blue of Chelsea.

His first words to the club were: "I think my biggest motivation is to give pride to my family. Not titles, not achievements, but for my family, because I know how much people have worked when we struggled to get where we wanted to go, where our dream was.

"So, it was more for them that I persevered during my childhood and I persevere to this day.

"I have come here to England with my family. They are everything to me. For them to be here means everything to me.

"It was a dream for me and my family [to play for a big European club] and I can realise it now."

Pleased with their latest arrival, the Blues posted pictures across their social media profiles on Tuesday night. One uploaded to Instagram got the attention of Neymar, who liked the post alongside Estevao's Chelsea team-mate Moises Caicedo, compatriot Matheus Cunha and over 500,000 users of the platform.

Brazil's all-time top goalscorer - who has played for Santos, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Al-Hilal across a trophy-laden career - never found his own way to West London despite persistent transfer links over the years.

But here he is clearly happy for his country's next big talent, who he predicted last year would become a 'genius' of the game.

"'He is a great talent that is emerging in Brazilian football today," Neymar was quoted by ESPN. "I think he's going to be a genius."

Not long afterwards by the end of the 2024 Brazilian Serie A campaign, Estevao with 18 goals and assists combined had surpassed Neymar's previous record for goal contributions by an under-17 in the country's top-flight, the previous best being 16.

And Estevao might enjoy this reaction Neymar, as speaking about the 33-year-old, Chelsea's new arrival has also previously told ESPN last December: "With Neymar, it was only once that he reposted me, but I’ve never spoken to him personally.

"I think I will cry [when I meet him]. He’s a guy I look up to, I’ve always seen him play, the greatest reference in Brazil is a huge reference for me."