Nine years ago, Gabriel Jesus was practicing his art and dreaming of becoming a football hero.
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.
In only his fourth game, he overcame a minor issue with a fractured metatarsal and got comfortable. He received his first Premier League winners’ medal that year, and he won back-to-back championships the following year. Jesus would score 45 goals in his first 100 games for the team, competing with Sergio Aguero for the center striker position. But at the 2018 World Cup, things did not go according to plan. Brazil’s downfall Brazil was expected to do better than the Russian show.
.
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 are attainable.
When Jesus was just 17 years old and playing for the Palmeiras youth club, he was pictured with a paintbrush and painting the streets of Sao Paulo. It was a local attempt to capture the spirit of the World Cup that the country 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 playing football was just too alluring. In the 2014 u17 state championship, he led Palmeiras in scoring with 37 goals in 22 games. His talents were already being noticed by Europe’s premier clubs at the time, so a career in academia would have to wait.
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.
In just his fourth game, he overcame a little problem with a broken metatarsal and settled in. That year he won his first Premier League winners’ medal, and the next year he won back-to-back titles. Jesus would compete with Sergio Aguero for the center striker spot and score 45 goals in his first 100 games for the team. But things did not go as planned at the 2018 World Cup.
Brazil’s failure
Brazil was supposed to perform well before to the Russian display.
Jesus was under pressure after World Cup legend Ronaldo was compared to him by his captain, Dani Alves. But the weight of his young shoulders left him stumbling as he led his country’s line. It is expected of Brazil’s No. 9 to score goals in this kind of circumstance. Jesus received a zero for that category, a terrible failure. Ultimately, they would be eliminated from the competition in the quarterfinals by Belgium.
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.
A fan of Pep
Even if there were doubts about his ability to score goals, Man City manager Pep Guardiola supported his player.
With a stunning four-goal explosion against Watford in the previous season—his first without being overshadowed by Aguero—Jesus showed his management how valuable he is. At the time, there had already been some discussion about relocating to Arsenal. In a post-match press conference, Guardiola talked about his importance to the team.
Gabriel happens to be one of our athletes, I would like to inform you. “I’m not sure what will happen, but he is a player for Manchester City,” the Spaniard said. To be fully aware of his potential, though, Gabriel does not need to put on a show like this one where he scores four goals. He was constantly there even if he missed two glaring man-to-man opportunities against Liverpool in the FA Cup. Because he always thinks about what’s best for the team, Gabriel has this amazing talent.He makes 1,000,000,000 motions for the other 1,000,000,000 times, but he never catches the ball. And when he has evenings like this, I am the happiest man in the world because he is always there.
Because of his incredibly positive outlook and team-oriented thinking, he will have a successful career. He will train the following day as if it were his last if he doesn’t play. “Gabriel is one of the best, and we did everything this season with him,” Guardiola would further add.Now that he is back with former City assistant Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, where he is also a parent to a daughter named Helena with Wag Raiane, Jesus will take that infectious attitude with him. To commemorate their favorite son and his achievements to date, the locals painted a mural in his likeness. Now, though, just a crimson coat of paint will do.