Latest news with #EstevaoWillian
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Palmeiras ease past Al Ahly in Club World Cup
Palmeiras' Argentine forward Jose Manuel Lopez celebrates scoring his team's second goal against Al Ahly in New Jersey (FRANCK FIFE) Palmeiras drew first blood in Club World Cup Group A with a 2-0 victory over Al Ahly on Thursday in New Jersey. Lionel Messi's Inter Miami face Porto later on in the group's other clash after two goalless draws in the first round of fixtures. Advertisement The match was suspended in the 63rd minute because of a weather warning, with players and fans at the MetLife Stadium instructed to "take shelter" because of a nearby storm. Palmeiras were leading by two goals at the time, with a Wessam Abou Ali own goal sending the Brazilians ahead in the 49th minute before Flaco Lopez doubled their lead on the Egyptians 10 minutes later. Victory took Palmeiras provisionally top on four points, with the other three sides level on one point each. It was the third match at the tournament affected by adverse weather at the tournament. On Tuesday Mamelodi Sundowns game against Ulsan HD was suspended just before kick-off for just over an hour due to a weather alert. Advertisement Then on Wednesday RB Salzburg' s match against Pachuca was suspended in the second half for 97 minutes because of a storm. Palmeiras, led by talented youngster Estevao Willian, who is set to join Chelsea, played well but were held by Porto in their opening clash. Al Ahly kept them at bay in a tight first half, in which English referee Anthony Taylor sent off Palmeiras midfielder Raphael Veiga for a foul on Ahmed Zizo, before overturning his decision following a VAR review. Palestinian striker Abou Ali headed Anibal Moreno's free-kick into his own net to hand Palmeiras the lead. Lopez finished coolly for the Brazilians' second after Mauricio played him through on goal. Advertisement After the suspension of around 45 minutes for the weather warning, Palmeiras played out the remainder of the match comfortably without risking their advantage. South American sides have come into the tournament strongly, in good condition given they are in the middle of their domestic seasons, and have stayed unbeaten to this point. rbs/ea
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
German regulator pushes for more fan control of football clubs like Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig
Top German football clubs, including Bayer Leverkusen and Leipzig, face the prospect of handing over more control to fans in future after a regulator intervened. A statement Monday from Germany's antitrust regulator, the Federal Cartel Office, said it wants to see tighter enforcement of the rule known as 50-plus-1 which requires a football club's membership to have majority voting rights over how the team is run. The regulator said recent European court rulings suggest permanent exemptions from 50-plus-1 for last year's champion Leverkusen and fellow top-tier club Wolfsburg seem 'no longer possible.' It said efforts should be made in the future to ensure the club's professional football operations come under the control of membership organisations, but didn't name any deadline. ALSO READ: Who is Estevao Willian, the Brazilian wonderkid touted as the 'next Neymar'? Leverkusen and Wolfsburg were founded as workers' teams at major companies which own the clubs, with pharmaceutical giant Bayer at Leverkusen, and car manufacturer Volkswagen at Wolfsburg. Their long-term involvement led to the clubs getting exemptions from 50-plus-1. The regulator also said the Bundesliga needs to ensure the clubs it oversees 'offer their fans the opportunity to become a new full member with voting rights.' That appears to affect Leipzig and its relationship with drinks giant Red Bull, though they weren't directly named by the regulator in Tuesday's statement. The club was founded by Red Bull in 2009 and is part of its international network of football clubs. It grants voting rights to far fewer people than most German clubs. Local media reported that only 23 members had the right to vote at Leipzig as of last year. Leverkusen said in a statement that the Federal Cartel Office's new approach was a 'remarkable change of course'. The club added that it does not consider the regulator's reasoning to be 'convincing' and that it will examine the ruling and reserve all legal options. Hans-Joachim Watzke, speaker of the league's executive board, said it stands behind 50-plus-1, which he called 'an elementary component of German soccer.' Fan control means outside investors can't buy up German clubs outright like they can in the English Premier League and other competitions. It's also one reason why Germany hasn't seen the sort of spending sprees and dramatic shifts in competitive balance which followed takeovers at clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain in the past. Fans often argue the rule keeps clubs rooted in their communities but still allows a limited role for investment. Sportswear giant Adidas is among the minority shareholders who've helped member-run Bayern Munich win a string of titles, while Borussia Dortmund shares are traded on the stock market. Fan power is a force in German football outside of the boardroom, too. Following protests, the league abandoned plans to sell a stake in its media rights income last year. While the regulator's statement may eventually change how some top clubs are run, it could take a while. The regulator has been examining German men's football for around seven years now and has brought about limited changes before. Related Topics Bundesliga
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Who is Estevao Willian, the Brazilian wonderkid touted as the ‘next Neymar'?
Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian impressed in his maiden appearance in the FIFA World Cup for Palmeiras as he ended up with the Player of the Match award in the game against Portuguese club FC Porto. Nicknamed 'Messinho' and touted as the next Neymar by pundits around the globe, Estevao has been constantly in the news during the recently concluded Campeonato Brasileiro Série A season. The left-footed winger played 33 matches across competitions in the 2024-25 season and scored 11 goals while assisting five times. His breakout season, though, came in the 2023-24 season, where he managed to amass 31 goal contributions for Palmeiras in 50 appearances. Following his exploits in the Brazilian league, he received a maiden national call-up last year for Brazil's World Cup qualifier matches against Ecuador and Paraguay. He debuted against Ecuador at the Estádio Couto Pereira. He substituted Luiz Henrique in the 61st minute as Brazil won 1–0. He started for Brazil for the first time under newly appointed coach Carlo Ancelotti in the World Cup qualifiers game against Ecuador earlier this month. 'He's got a special talent,' said Ancelotti after the game, which ended in a goalless draw. 'He's got character, he's a good person, he's humble, and he seems fine to me, but with a young player we have to be patient and careful. He has the characteristics to be very important for the future of the national team,' he added. When can Estevao play for Chelsea? Estevao was roped in by Chelsea for a transfer fee in the region of $37 million (₹318 crore) last year in July. The 18-year-old can join the Premier League club once the FIFA Club World Cup finishes since he is part of the Palmeiras squad for the tournament.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chelsea teenager produces electric performance at u-21 Euros
Geovany Quenda starred as Portugal thrashed Poland 5-0 in their second fixture of the u-21 European Championship. The teenager scored twice and created another in the first half as Portugal ran riot to take a huge step towards the knockout rounds. Quenda is the youngest player at the tournament, having only turned 18 in April, but was the star of the show for the Portuguese. The winger will join Chelsea in 2026 after agreeing a £44m move to Stamford Bridge earlier this year. He will remain on loan at Sporting Lisbon next season, having had a key role in the club's Portuguese league title success this season. Advertisement Quenda has excelled in a wing-back role at Sporting but showed his quality further forward for Portugal on Saturday evening. He is one of several exciting wide talents headed for Chelsea, with Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian linking up with the Blues this season. Estevao made his senior debut for Brazil this month. Chelsea signing Quenda viewed as 'generational talent' Quenda's latest performance is sure to get the excitement levels increased at Chelsea, with Portuguese journalist Mariana Fernandes claiming the teenager is viewed as the nation's next 'generational' talent. 'He is a generational talent. Here in Portugal, there is a common theme with Sporting fans, Benfica fans, Porto fans, all the football fans, that we are not going to get a lot of Geovany Quendas every year. He is a once-in-a-generation kind of talent.' Advertisement Read – Club World Cup: The must-watch fixtures as new FIFA tournament kicks off See more – FIFA Club World Cup: How to watch every game in the UK Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Best since Neymar' - Chelsea to get early look at 'special' signing
Chelsea fans will get their first chance to watch their new wonderkid at the Fifa Club World Cup... but he will not be playing for their winger Estevao Willian will join the Blues from Palmeiras this summer in a £29m deal that was agreed in May the Sao Paolo club included a clause that meant he would play for them in the Club World Cup, now under way in the United States, before joining teams are in different groups but could meet in the quarter-finals."He's got a special talent," said new Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti after giving the 18-year-old a first international start against Ecuador."He's got character, he's a good person, he's humble, and he seems fine to me, but with a young player we have to be patient and careful. "He has the characteristics to be very important for the future of the national team."Former Chelsea and Brazil winger Willian told ESPN Brasil: , external"He has great potential like [Barcelona and Spain winger] Lamine Yamal, they have a similar style."I hope he can be very successful in England playing for Chelsea, that he can score a lot of goals in the Chelsea jersey and will help them to win titles."So how has Estevao - who has five Brazil caps and has scored 11 goals in 32 games this season - reached this stage? 'Best player since Neymar' Abel Ferreira hesitated for a second, insisted he wouldn't say what he had in his mind, but then - in a rare moment of full disclosure when it comes to young talents - he opened up."This player is different from everything I've ever seen," the Palmeiras coach said in a press conference in May 2024, following a 2-1 win over Botafogo-SP in the Brazilian two-time Libertadores champion is not particularly known for letting himself get carried away too easily, especially in front of the cameras. But that night, he allowed himself to speak freely because he couldn't believe his eyes - then 17-year-old Estevao had just scored the winner in the final minutes and put on a spectacular show once is the impact the left-footed winger had the season before last that Ferreira tried, in vain, to convince the club board not to sell him. That was too late, beat the competition of the likes of Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain and Manchester City to sign the Palmeiras wonderkid in a deal that could eventually be worth £52m and that will see him arrive at Stamford Bridge after Fifa's new Club World Cup in July Brazilian teenagers such as Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo left for Europe at the same age for huge fees. They've both proved themselves already on the big stages since then. But none of them were as hyped as Estevao when they first moved a feeling in Brazil that the boy from the countryside of Sao Paulo may be something else, the kind of player that comes along once a decade and seems destined to the very top."Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar. You watch him and you fall in love," the head of Palmeiras' academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, told BBC Sport."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."Chelsea may have struck gold with their new signing. Forget about Messinho - his name is Estevao Estevao is a member of the so-called "geracao do bilhao" - a generation of players that also includes Real Madrid-bound Endrick and West Ham's new starlet Luis Guilherme and with whom Palmeiras expected to make 1bn Brazilian Real (around £152m).All three have been making waves since they were kids - Estevao himself was only 10 the first time Palmeiras tried to lure him to their academy, but failed to match an offer reportedly 10 times higher from then became the youngest Brazilian footballer to sign a contract with Nike, surpassing Neymar (13) and Rodrygo (11), and was dubbed 'Messinho' (little Messi) for his ability to change direction and dribble past opponents while running with the ball at hardly came as a surprise to those who had been following him when Spanish newspaper AS said during the 2023 U-17 World Cup that "Brazil have a new genius".Despite the similarities with Lionel Messi, Estevao has stated he doesn't want to be called 'Messinho' not only his left foot that leaves others fascinated, but also the mentality he already possesses. Sampaio recalls an episode that illustrated that."When we won the 2022 U-17 Brazilian Championship title, Estevao ended up breaking one of his toes during a decisive game," he said."But even so he still didn't want to leave [the game], so he came to me at half-time saying, 'I'll go back for the second half'. And I challenged him: 'You better go back.' And so he had a painkilling injection in his toe and told me, 'I'll go back, score a goal and look for you in the stands to shush you.' That's how strong he is mentally." No concern at all about Chelsea situation A right winger who can also play as number 10, Estevao has always been treated was still five months away from being able to sign his first senior contract at the age of 16 when Palmeiras, in an unusual move, announced they had agreed the terms of decision to choose Chelsea as the next step in his career has been questioned back home, due to the confusing situation of the English club and their recent record with young Brazilians such as Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington and Angelo staff has told BBC Sport they have no concerns whatsoever about it and added they believe a transfer to West London will give him a chance to break into the team more quickly compared to other the 2026 World Cup as his main goal, the plan is to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge once he arrives."I would say that with Estevao it's not a matter of whether this place is easier or not because he's the kind of player that just goes there and gets things done. When you are an extra-class like him, that's how you do it," Sampaio concluded.A version of this article was first published in July 2024
