It seems very odd that a company who sponsors stars as big as Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar himself would sign a kid, but in the same way that youth academies try to lock down their most promising players, sports brands are doing exactly the same.
It could just be another case of a talented, audacious player who amazes in Brazil at a young age, but Estevão Willian is more than that. His father presented him to the Cruzeiro youth academy at the age of nine, and it only took a few minutes of a DVD that he had recorded, and a training session with the youth reserve team, for the boy to sign his first contract.
He started playing with and against ten-year olds when he was nine and now, one year later, he faces players who are up to three years older than him. The age of his opponents doesn't hinder him, he is overcoming all obstacles placed in front of him, using his talent and magic to surmount his physical disadvantage.
The deal with Nike, who have never signed a contract with such a young player, does nothing but confirm what people in Belo Horizonte were already thinking. The kid is tipped to be a big star in Europe, following in the footsteps of Brazillian icons such as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Neymar himself.
But although the levels of expectations around him are high, they are not as high as the levels of precaution that are being taken to avoid the up and coming star dying out. The wonderkid's family and Cruzeiro are already negotiating a new contract, which will ensure him a specific sporting plan, with specialist attention and access to all possible facilities, to assure him a promising future.