Wayne Rooney hailed Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella's performance marking Lamine Yamal in 3-0 Champions League win over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Cucurella had joked in the build-up to the game that he had told Estêvão to train with shin pads as he prepared for how he would play against Yamal. Ironically, he stuck to his word and stuck to the heels of his 18-year-old Spain teammate, but without making reckless challenges.
"Cucurella's given the best training lesson you could have for dealing with Lamine Yamal tonight," Rooney told Amazon Prime.
"Cucurella was absolutely incredible, probably the best performance I've seen from a left-back for a long, long time. To do that tonight, he's a serious player."
Chelsea took the lead in the 27th minute through a Joules Koundé own goal. Ronald Araújo was sent off via a second yellow card shortly before half-time and Chelsea compounded Barça's misery 10 minutes after the break with an Estêvão stunner.
Liam Delap added the cherry on top with a 73rd minute strike to put the game beyond reach. However, it was the Brazilian teenager's goal that would dominate headlines.
- Estevao proves Chesea's credentials in win over Barcelona
- Estêvão the next Messi? Chelsea boss says relax
- Champions League as it happened: Chelsea roll past Barça
The build-up to the match largely focused on the battle between Estêvão and Yamal -- two 18-year-old wingers with the world at their feet -- and the former won with plenty of help from Cucurella.
Chelsea moved up to fifth in the table ahead of Wednesday's action, while Barça fell to 15th.
The Blues have picked up three wins and a draw in the Champions League since their solitary defeat to Bayern Munich -- who will face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in Wednesday's Premier League clash.
