00:00World Cup wins, samba stars, street football, futsal and joga bonito.
00:04When you think of Brazil, these are the things that come to mind.
00:07At least for us at 442.
00:09They do things a little differently in South America.
00:11Barefoot ballers and beachside battle royales have helped produce the most entertaining players across several generations.
00:17From Garincha and Pelé's era, to Zico, Socrates, Carlos Alberto, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Romário, Neymar, all the way up to
00:25present day.
00:26Nowadays though, it's English football that's king.
00:29So is it any wonder every Brazilian youngster wants to play here in the Premier League?
00:33This year, two of the Celecau's best young talents have burst onto the scene in dreary old blighty.
00:39I'm Joe Donoghue and welcome back to the Boys a Bit Special, a 442 series highlighting the best and brightest
00:44teenagers in world football.
00:49Bournemouth's Antoine Semenio replacement could hardly have hoped for a better start on the South Coast.
00:53Ryan is the 19-year-old pot-shotter from Vasco da Gama in Brazil's top flight, who recently equalled a
00:59Robbie Keane and Anthony Martial Premier League record.
01:01That is to say, the attacker contributed a goal or assist in each of his first three outings, becoming only
01:07the third teenager to do so in Premier League history.
01:09That's probably a good indicator of how special Ryan could prove to be.
01:13Ryan is the son of former defender Valkmar, who, despite sounding like an intercontinental ballistic missile used during the Cold
01:20War,
01:20actually played for Vasco da Gama during their late 1990s peak, when the team won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian
01:26Championship.
01:27But Valkmar's greatest contribution to the world of football could end up being his own flesh and blood.
01:32By the age of 11, it was reported that Ryan had scored 280 goals for Vasco's youth teams.
01:37He and his father were interviewed about it back in 2017.
01:40Yes, you heard that correctly. Premier League stars were as young as 11 as recently as 2017.
01:46It was in that interview Ryan admitted he enjoys celebrating like Luis Fabiano, a real streets-won't-forget footballer.
01:52But not only that, Ryan listed his inspirations, who were none other than Nene, yep, that guy who briefly appeared
01:58for West Ham, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
02:00At 19 years old, Ryan already has more Premier League goals than one of his idols.
02:05We'll let you work out which one we're talking about there.
02:07He's got a cannon of a left foot, and so far has been stuck out on the right flank,
02:11but dating back to his time as a youth football and futsal star,
02:14Ryan has always preferred playing through the middle, as the centre-forward.
02:18And with his goals record, can you really blame him?
02:20A move to the Premier League at such a young age is significant for a couple of reasons.
02:24Not least because Ryan will be setting his family up for life.
02:27In an interview, his father, Valkomar, admitted he took a job as a security guard after retiring from the game
02:32because he hadn't earned enough during his playing days.
02:35Ryan's move is significant for a second reason,
02:37because it shows how Bournemouth and the Premier League's other so-called lesser teams
02:41are now regarded by some of the world's best and brightest young talents.
02:45The Cherries have sold Ilya Zabani to PSG, Dean Hoisin to Real Madrid,
02:49Milos Kerkes to Liverpool and Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City in the past eight months,
02:54and Dom Solanqui to Spurs before that.
02:56The Vitality Stadium offers a platform for young players to come and thrive
03:00under less pressure than they may be faced with at a traditional big six club.
03:04And the more agents and players cotton on to this,
03:06the more it stands to benefit teams like Bournemouth,
03:09raising the competitive level of the league even further.
03:12Now, Bournemouth fans, if you're watching, close your ears right about now
03:14because what I'm about to tell you probably isn't what you want to hear.
03:18Ryan won't be at Bournemouth forever.
03:19He mightn't even be there very long, depending on how quickly he develops.
03:23But you probably knew that already.
03:25When he was 15, scoring more goals than games played for Vasco's under-17 team,
03:30Barcelona sporting director Deco took a very close look.
03:33So the fact that Bournemouth have landed him
03:34is most likely on the proviso that he'll be allowed to treat the club as a stepping stone.
03:39That's the footballing food chain, I'm afraid.
03:41Ryan is headed right to the very top, with thanks to his father.
03:44He's got all the ability in the world,
03:46but how often do we see talented youngsters fall by the wayside
03:49because they lose their focus?
03:50Check out this quote from Valkmar.
03:52He told Globo Esport the following.
03:54Today I'm happy with what I have.
03:56What I earn is enough for me to live on.
03:58It's very important because we don't let Ryan go overboard.
04:00If he's sold for those absurd prices that football fetches young players these days,
04:04we can manage to control his nights out, his drinking, his relationships with women.
04:09Today I know how to do it and talk to him so we don't go too far.
04:12The goal is for him to pursue a high-level career until he retires.
04:16Then, with a family at a good age, he can move on with his life.
04:19Today we work day by day, year by year, so he can achieve his goal.
04:23Me, his mother and his older sister support him.
04:26Do you want more from 442?
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04:31Loads of benefits including extra content, quizzes, Q&As, fan discussions, plus plenty more.
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04:40Right across for Esteval!
04:43Esteval made his Palmeiras debut at the age of 16 years and 8 months.
04:47Half a year later, he was sold to Chelsea.
04:49When Premier League clubs spot a talent like him, they move fast.
04:53Very fast.
04:54The Brasileiro, Brazil's top flight, has seen many wondrous young players come through
04:58before being shipped off to Europe for huge fees.
05:00Vinicius Junior, Rodrigo, Renier and Hendrik, all of whom ended up at Real Madrid,
05:05are just some of the recent examples, with varying success.
05:08Going further back and you have the likes of Neymar, Ronaldo, Kaka and Romario,
05:12although they weren't signed by European teams as early as this new generation are.
05:16The reason for that is, partly, due to the shrinking of the football world.
05:20Today, teams from across Europe have dedicated scouts based in countries such as
05:24Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador, attending youth level matches.
05:28And that's why Esteval was a known quantity long before he stepped onto the field to make his Palmeiras debut.
05:33And as a young winger in the Palmeiras Academy, he earned the nickname Mesino,
05:37meaning little Messi, expressing his desire to one day represent Barcelona.
05:42Kids, eh?
05:43Well, this kid actually has the talent to achieve that one day.
05:46Earlier this season, Chelsea defeated Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge,
05:49thanks in no small part to Esteval.
05:52While it might have always been his dream to play and score at Camp Nou,
05:55he at least managed to find the net against Barcelona in that game,
05:58which he was fantastic in, by the way.
06:00He created chances, beat men on the dribble and scored.
06:02Everything a teenage Brazilian winger taking his first steps on the big stage should do.
06:07Esteval hit double figures in each of his two full seasons with the Palmeiras' first team,
06:11before joining Chelsea once he'd turned 18, as per Brexit rules.
06:15Thanks again for that.
06:16So, it would have been unrealistic for anyone to expect him to waltz into the Chelsea team and replicate that.
06:21But he just might, you know.
06:22You never really know how a player like Esteval, coming straight from South America,
06:27where there can sometimes be less focus on tactical discipline and more on individual ability,
06:31is going to adapt to English football.
06:33He's done more than alright, though.
06:35And I wonder how much of that is down to the homework he put in before arriving on these shores.
06:40Esteval had been taking English lessons for 18 months leading up to his Chelsea unveiling,
06:45which, no doubt, has eased his transition into London living.
06:47Does anyone know if Palmeiras' supporters reacted to Esteval the same way as Liverpool fans did
06:52when they found out Trent Alexander-Arnold spoke conversational Spanish?
06:56No?
06:57In an exclusive interview with 442, Esteval admitted he still needed the help of a translator app
07:02to understand what Cole Palmer had DM'd him on Instagram.
07:05The reason for that being, Esteval had just performed the Chelsea man's signature celebration.
07:09No, I'm not going to do it.
07:11Shortly after his signing from Palmeiras was announced.
07:14We've been hounded in the comments throughout this season,
07:16asking us to please feature Esteval in one of our Boys A Bit Special videos.
07:20And now I'm glad to say 442 are satisfied.
07:23In truth, he was all along one of the best young players in world football,
07:27but we didn't want to have another Mikhailo Mudrik situation on our hands.
07:31Esteval will, in our opinion, go from strength to strength at Stamford Bridge
07:35and genuinely could become one of the world's best, on a level similar to Lamine Yamal.
07:40He does have a slight petulant streak in him at the moment, but that's to be expected.
07:43Not many of us were level-headed teenagers.
07:45There have also been games in which he's not quite suited,
07:48but appearing over 30 times for the Blues in his debut campaign is as strong a sign as any
07:53that he's got what it takes, and then some.
07:55Remember to subscribe to 442 for more Boys A Bit Special,
07:58unique stories, wonder kids, scout reports, football documentary shorts, and so much more.
08:03And recommend us to a friend too, particularly if they're interested in football's next generation,
08:08or cool anecdotes about up-and-coming players,
08:11or even if they're woeful at football manager and really need a hand in the scouting department.
08:15Until next time, bye for now.
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