Lionel Messi has endorsed an incoming Chelsea wonderkid as one of his successors on the world stage, fans believe. 

The Inter Miami hero linked up with Palmeiras youngster Estevao Willian at half-time during their 2-2 draw at the Club World Cup.

Estevao, 18, will join Chelsea in July after agreeing a £28million deal to move all the way back last summer. 

Fans were delighted to see Messi and Estevao swap shirts at half-time in their clash, believing it shows how the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is happy to bless a potential future world dominator. 

‘The mantle is passed on,’ said one fan on X. 

Lionel Messi and Estevao Willian swapped shirts at half-time as Inter Miami faced Palmeiras

Estevao will join Chelsea in July to complete a £28million move from his Brazilian side

The 18-year-old has been dubbed ‘Messinho’ (‘little Messi’) due to their similarities 

‘Changing of the guard,’ another said. 

‘That’s a precious gift that Estevao will cherish for the rest of his life, so cool,’ one commented. 

‘Greatness recognises future greatness,’ another said. 

Others, however, were less than impressed with the act of trading shirts when the dance was only halfway done.

‘”Swapped shirts at half time” utter woke nonsense,’ one complained.  

It is not unusual for players to wear a different, clean shirt in the second half, meaning the swap at half-time was possible.

Estevao also switched shirts with Luis Suarez, who was on the scoresheet along with Tadeo Allende as Inter Miami went 2-0 ahead before late goals from Palmeiras’ Paulinho and Mauricio.

Both sides qualified for the last 16 of the Club World Cup, with porto and Al-Ahly crashing out.

Estavao has caught plenty of eyes for his exploits in Brazil, with many thinking he can lead the next generation for the country along with Endrick. 

Estevao has been hailed as the greatest Brazilian footballing product since Neymar broke out

He has already been capped five times by Brazil and scored 26 goals in the last two seasons

Coach Abel Ferreira said in March: ‘He is different from anything I’ve ever seen in football. He knows how to attack, defend, take the game on, dribble.

‘He’s focused, he has a good family, everyone cares for him at the club and the older players talk to him a lot.’

‘Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar,’ Joao Paulo Sampaio, the head of Palmeiras’ academy, told BBC Sport. ‘You watch him and you fall in love.

‘He already impresses with his technique but, like Neymar at this same point in his career, he has not yet matured physically and is not as strong as Endrick, so he could still develop a lot. That’s what amazes everyone and makes them think that he will reach a much higher level.’

Just like Messi, he has a wand of a left foot, and like the Argentine and his compatriot Neymar, traffic on the pitch does not seem to faze the young right winger. He is known for his confidence on the ball and willingness to take on defences.

Estevao has superb ball control which allows him to play as an attacking midfielder at times, but his best asset is his exciting ball-carrying ability, aided by his pace, which comes in handy on the wing.

The controls he makes are incredible and his speed with the ball is amazing, Sampaio told AS. ‘The Palmeiras photographer took a sequence of 100 photos of him running with the ball and in all of them he came out with the ball stuck to his left foot.’