Nine years ago, Gabriel Jesus was practicing his art and dreaming of becoming a football hero.
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As Brazil got ready to host the 2014 World Cup, the now-25-year-old newcomer to Arsenal was seen as a child painting murals on the walls of his Sao Paulo neighborhood.
After just a year, the driven Jesus had already made a name for himself at Palmeiras as one of the most talented athletes in his country.
The striker represented his country, scored twice in his debut game, and earned a record-breaking contract with Manchester City by the end of 2016. by the time I turn 19 years old.
Because of his quick rise and subsequent performances for City, Pep Guardiola called Jesus the “best in the world.”
Dreams can come true
Jesus was photographed holding a paintbrush while painting the streets of Sao Paulo when he was barely 17 years old and playing for the Palmeiras youth club. It was part of a local attempt to get into the World Cup atmosphere that the nation was hosting in 2014.
Jesus then embraced his Jardim Peri neighborhood with enthusiasm and brought his own color to a place noted for its terrible housing circumstances. Jesus honored his hometown by getting a tattoo depicting a little child looking back at his previous neighborhood while holding a football under his arm.
There, on dirt pitches, he developed his football skills by adopting a style known to the locals as “Varzea.”Between the ages of eight and fourteen, he was a regular member of the Pequeninos do Meio Ambiente football team in the nearby city of Tremembe, demonstrating his dedication to his craft. Because he could not afford the bus fare, he would wear flip-flops and tote a pair of old football boots on his hour-and-a-half walk to training every Saturday. The eight-mile round commute may have helped him become the dedicated and industrious player he is today.
Jesus was raised by his mother Vera, who has since kept a close check on him as a star. His mother, who also saw Jesus’ skill with a ball, took on three jobs to raise her four children when his father passed away not long after he was born.
Jesus has never lost sight of her struggle even today. Additionally, he always calls his mother to celebrate his victories in memory of her.
Early years
Jesus agreed to a youth contract with Palmeiras in 2013. He did well in school, though. After passing his exams with distinction at Guilherme de Almeida State College, his former headteacher claimed he could have become a scientist.
But the lure of playing football was too strong. In the 2014 u17 state championship, he led Palmeiras in scoring with 37 goals in 22 games. A future in academia would have to wait, as top European clubs were already taking note of his abilities.
Jesus was thrown into the Palmeiras first squad in 2015 and made 37 appearances across all competitions, mostly coming off the bench. He also scored seven goals.
It would get much better the next year. He would make 46 appearances while contributing 21 goals. He would lead Palmeiras to their first league championship in 22 years, which is more significant. It became evident that he was already destined to perform on a larger platform at the age of 19.
Welcome to the Premier League
Jesus was signed by Manchester City in 2016 for a rumored sum of £30 million, beating out a number of other clubs.
“I want to win titles, and Manchester City is a club that is used to winning,” he declared upon his arrival. The fact that City is a team that consistently challenges for the championship in the tournaments it enters was crucial, as was Pep Guardiola’s leadership of the team. It was a foretelling of what would occur next. He would make his club debut in January 2017 and have an immediate impact, scoring seven goals in his first 11 appearances.
He settled in despite a minor issue with a broken metatarsal in only his fourth game. He received his first Premier League winners’ medal the next year, which led to back-to-back championships the following year. In his first 100 games for the club, Jesus would score 45 goals while competing with Sergio Aguero for the center-forward position. However, not everything at the 2018 World Cup went as expected.
Failure with Brazil
Brazil was expected to do well before that exhibition in Russia.
The pressure was on Jesus after his captain Dani Alves compared him to Ronaldo, a World Cup icon. He was left floundering as he led his country’s line, however, due to the strain on his young shoulders. Brazil’s No. 9 is expected to score goals in such a situation. Jesus failed miserably in that aspect, earning a zero. In the end, Belgium would eliminate them from the competition in the quarterfinals.
Finally, Jesus boldly declared that his performance had upset him and was damning of himself.He continued, saying, “That elimination of ours was a blow for all of us, especially for me.””I was a key player who qualified for the World Cup, but I was scoreless. It affects you.I still have a scar from that. We will never forget Gabriel, the World Cup player who was unable to score. It’s possible that his recent hangover, concerns about his goal-scoring prowess, and the fact that he plays wide forward instead of center forward have hampered his potential.
An admirer of Pep
Despite skepticism over his ability to score goals, Man City boss Pep Guardiola stood by his player.
Jesus proved his value to his manager last season, his first without being overshadowed by Aguero, with a magnificent four-goal barrage against Watford. The idea of moving to Arsenal was already being discussed at the time. Guardiola discussed his significance to the team during a press conference after the game.
“I’d want to let you know that Gabriel is one of our players. He is a player for Manchester City, but I’m not sure what will happen,” the Spaniard remarked. But Gabriel doesn’t need to put on a performance like this one in which he scores four goals to be fully aware of his potential. He missed two clear man-to-man opportunities against Liverpool in the FA Cup, but he was always present. Gabriel has this tremendous talent because he is constantly considering what is best for the team.”1,000,000,000 moves, he doesn’t catch the ball, but he keeps making 1,000,000,000 motions for the other ones. And because he is always there, I am the happiest man in the world when he has nights like this.
He will have a good career because of the incredible positivity in his mind and the way he thinks for the team. If he doesn’t play, he will be in training the next day as if it were his last. Additionally, Guardiola would say, “Gabriel is one of the best, and we did everything this season with him.”Jesus will now bring that contagious attitude to Arsenal, where he is reunited with former City assistant Mikel Arteta, where he is now a father to daughter Helena with Wag Raiane. Locals have created a mural of his likeness to honor their favorite son and to honor his accomplishments thus far. But now all that needs to be done is to paint it red.