The 17-year-old, who will play for Chelsea when he turns 18 and is expected to leave Palmeiras, made an appearance as a substitute in Brazil's World Cup qualifying matches against Ecuador and Paraguay. As Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira had previously mentioned, "He wanted to train and didn't sleep at all when he arrived." However, we urged him to go home, rest, and get well. We can tend to the players and play games with this level of passion because we have time." Estevao, who can play as a winger or a No. 10, has equaled Neymar's 2009 record as the 17-year-old with the most number of goals and assists in the top division of Brazil.
Estevao signed a contract for £51 million with bonuses when he joined Chelsea, but he has only scored nine goals and provided seven assists so far this season.