Kevin Tanza

Why Chelsea Fans Are Suddenly Calling Estevao “Steve”, Nickname Explained

Chelsea, Estevao

The young Brazilian player, Estêvão Willian Almeida de Oliveira Gonçalves, better known simply as Estêvão, is currently considered one of the best young footballers in the world. Born on April 24, 2007 in Franca, Brazil, Estêvão has demonstrated a very mature style of play since his early days at Cruzeiro, characterized by his decision-making and dribbling skills.

Thanks to this, he moved to Palmeiras in 2021, where he established himself as one of the best players in the team and also as one of the biggest attractions in Brazilian football.

Thanks to his playing style and abilities, he is often compared to both Lionel Messi and Neymar JR and even nicknamed “Messinho”, which he doesn’t really like.

It was thanks to his playing style and influence on his team that English giants Chelsea FC announced the signing of the Brazilian in 2024, which would become effective a year later, in 2025. The signing would cost around €34 million plus another €23 million in performance-based incentives and the contract will last 8 years.

On the day of Estêvão’s presentation as a new Chelsea FC player, the youngster commented that he can’t wait to help the team:

“It feels very rewarding to represent Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world. I hope to help the team in the best way possible. I can’t wait”, he said.

Estêvão finally made his debut for Chelsea FC in a preseason friendly against German club Bayer Leverkusen, where he started and only needed 18 minutes to score his first goal for his new team. The match ended 2-0 in favor of Chelsea FC. The other goal was scored by Joao Pedro, another new addition to the London team.

His participation in this match is a preview of what the young Brazilian can do, and this has truly excited the Blues fans, as Estêvão is a player who could become one of the best in the Premier League and the whole world.

Soon after the match many noticed online that instead of calling the Brazilian by his given name, Estêvão, Chelsea fans were referring to him as “Steve”, which piqued curiosity.

And this is because, as is common around the world, a name can change, or be spelled and pronounced differently depending on the country a person is from. And in this specific case, in Brazil his name is pronounced and written Estêvão, but in England his name would be “Steven” or “Stephen”. In any other South American country, his name might be “Esteban” or even “Stiven”. In fact, his name means “Crown” in Portuguese.

Because of this, Estêvão is now being nicknamed Steven by his Chelsea FC fans, a reference to the English pronunciation of his name. This reminds us of how Cesar Azpilicueta, former captain and defender of the London club, was nicknamed “Dave” by his teammates.

In this case, it’s a little different, but it’s still a nickname of endearment.

Leave a comment