The natures of fate and football are often intertwined, and FC Barcelona know this quite well. However, it is also true that not every fairytale story reaches a fairytale ending either. For one reason or another, it has often been the case with FC Barcelona as well.
Some transfers seem destined to become reality, and that is because of the external factors that continue to lead those stories in that direction. Such was the case of Estevao Willian, a prodigious 17-year-old Brazilian wonderkid who dreamt of joining FC Barcelona one day.
Nicknamed ‘Messinho’, the young Brazilian hailed Messi as his idol and many compared his playing style to the legendary Barcelona and Argentinian star. However, despite his own best efforts to sign for FC Barcelona, there are two major reasons why the Catalan club could not ultimately sign him and Chelsea ended up doing so.
As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, the player’s father Ivo, and agent, Andre Curry, met with FC Barcelona before eventually signing for Premier League side Chelsea. While there was great interest from both parties, it was eventually not to become a reality for the youngster who aspired to follow in the footsteps of his idol because of two major reasons.
The finances:
As per MD, the Catalan club had other major priorities to adjust to their finances. Heavily limited in terms of their spending, Barcelona had already made a heavy bet on Vitor Roque, another of Brazil’s finest youngsters. Moreover, since they had to maintain sustainability in one way or another, it was crucial for Barça to not chew on more than they could swallow at the time.
Lamine Yamal:
The other reason that ended up erasing any chance Estevao would have had to join Barcelona was Lamine Yamal. Aged just 16, the homegrown product was essentially a free signing for the club which ended up exploding in unparalleled ways.
Now a mainstay for both FC Barcelona and Spain, it is hardly a surprise as to why Barça no longer deemed it to be necessary to bring in another talented left-footed right-winger into the team for a large sum of money.
