Brazilian superstar Neymar has congratulated Chelsea youngster Estevao for breaking his record in Brazil.
Chelsea beat several clubs to sign the teenager earlier in the year and, due to FIFA rules, he remained at Palmeiras and will move to Stamford Bridge next summer, having turned 18.
Estevao breaks his teammate’s record
The 17-year-old has reached new heights this season for Palmeiras and is already one of the best players in the Brazilian Serie A.
With 8 games left in the league, Estevao leads Verdao’s title race, and they are just one point and adrift of championship leader Botafogo.
Only Flamengo’s Pedro (11) has scored more than Estevao’s 10 league goals this season, and the youngster leads the division in assists (8).
He scored and assisted in the 5-3 win over Juventude in the early hours of today, taking his goal contribution for the season to 18, eclipsing Neymar, who held the record for most of goal contributions by an U-18 star in a single Serie A season (16).
Neymar’s words
Estevao didn’t just beat Neymar’s record, he shattered it by surpassing the ex-Santos star’s record in far fewer games. The 33-year-old needed 33 games to reach 16 goals, while Estevao reached 18 in 24 games.
Reacting on social networks, Neymar, who is a reference for this generation of Brazilian players, congratulated him for dismissing him and wished him success in his career.
“Congratulations, Estêvão Willian for breaking the record! I hope you continue to shine and delight people with your football. Fly away”, he wrote on social networks.
Meanwhile, after a year of inactivity due to a horrific ankle injury, Neymar is expected to return to the pitch for Al-Hilal.
