Gabriel Jesus was honing his artistic abilities and dreaming of becoming a football star eight years ago.
As Brazil got ready to host the 2014 World Cup, the 25-year-old Arsenal new boy was photographed as a teenager painting the streets of his Sao Paulo neighborhood.
After a year, the driven Jesus was already establishing himself at Palmeiras and becoming one of his nation’s most promising talents.
By the end of 2016, the striker had already signed a big contract with Manchester City in Europe and made his debut for his nation, scoring twice. This is all before the age of 19.
Pep Guardiola referred to Jesus as the ‘greatest in the world’ as a result of his spectacular ascent and subsequent performances for City.
Dreams can come true:
When Jesus was seen holding a paintbrush and painting the streets of São Paulo, he was barely 17 years old and a star for Palmeiras’ youth team.
It was a part of the residents’ effort to get into the spirit of the 2014 World Cup, which was being held in the nation.
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Jesus eagerly embraced his neighborhood of Jardim Peri, adding his artistic touch to a place notorious for its substandard living circumstances.
Jesus has honored his hometown with a tattoo that shows a little child gazing back at his old favela while holding a football under his arm.
He honed his football talents there, playing on dirt fields in what the locals refer to as the “Varzea” style.
From the age of eight to fourteen, he demonstrated his commitment to his skill with the Pequeninos do Meio Ambiente football team in Tremembe, a nearby city.
Because he couldn’t afford the bus price, he would walk an hour and a half to training every Saturday wearing flip-flops and carrying a pair of old football boots. He may be the industrious and diligent player he is today because of that eight-mile round trip.
Early life:
Jesus agreed to a youth contract with Palmeiras by 2013. He excelled in school, though.
After he finished his exams with distinction, his former headteacher at Guilherme de Almeida State College claimed he could have been a biologist.
But the temptation to play football was too strong.
In the 2014 u17 state championship, he scored 37 goals in 22 games while playing for Palmeiras.
His talents were already being noticed by Europe’s best clubs at that time, so a career in academia would have to wait.
Jesus was thrown into the Palmeiras starting lineup in 2015. He made 37 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven goals while frequently coming off the bench.
It would improve more the next year. In his 46 outings, he would score 21 goals.
Above all, he would lead Palmeiras to their first league championship in twenty-two years.
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 an estimated £30 million, beating out a number of other teams.
“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 consistently contends for the championship in the contests it enters was a significant influence, as was the team and manager Pep Guardiola.” It was a foreshadowing of what would happen later.
In January 2017, he would make his club debut. He had an incredible rookie season, scoring seven goals in his first 11 appearances.
He settled in admirably despite a minor injury to his metatarsal in just his fourth game.
He would win his first Premier League winners’ gold the following season, and a year later, he would win back-to-back titles.
Jesus would score 45 goals in his first 100 games for the team while competing with Sergio Aguero for the center forward spot.
However, things didn’t go as planned at the 2018 World Cup.
Brazil’s failure:
Brazil was expected to do well before that spectacle in Russia.
There was a lot of pressure on Jesus after captain Dani Alves likened him to World Cup great Ronaldo a year earlier.
But as he led his nation’s line, he was left floundering due to the immense burden placed on his young shoulders.
Brazil’s No. 9 is anticipated to score goals on such an occasion. Jesus failed to score any points in that area.
In the end, they would lose to Belgium in the quarterfinals of the competition.
In the end, Jesus was damning of his own performance and courageously acknowledged that it troubled him.
“That elimination of ours was a blow for all of us, especially for me,” he added afterwards.
“I was a crucial player going into the World Cup, but I didn’t score. You are impacted by it.
“That left me scarred. Gabriel, who failed to score at the World Cup, will never be forgotten.
Perhaps that hangover has limited his abilities lately, as he has been playing wide rather than as a center forward and there are questions about whether he is a natural goal scorer.
In Pep, an admirer:
player City boss Pep Guardiola supported his player in spite of skepticism about his ability to score goals.
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Jesus demonstrated his value to his management with a spectacular four-goal burst against Watford last season, his first time playing outside Aguero’s shadow.
At that time, rumors of a transfer to Arsenal were already circulating.
Guardiola described his significance to the team in a post-match press conference.
“I would like to inform you that Gabriel is one of our players. He plays for Manchester City, but I’m not sure what will happen,” the Spaniard remarked.
“However, Gabriel doesn’t have to score four goals as he did tonight to demonstrate his abilities. He missed two clear man-to-man opportunities against Liverpool in the FA Cup, but he always shows up. Gabriel has a remarkable talent because he is constantly considering what is best for the team.
“He makes a thousand million movements for the other players even though he doesn’t get the ball.” Additionally, because he is always there, I am the happiest man alive on evenings like these.
“If he doesn’t play he’s there training the day after like it’s his last day, that’s why he will have a long career, he will have a successful career because of the incredible positivity in his mind and thinks for the team.”
“What we have done this season we have done with Gabriel, Gabriel is one of the best,” Guardiola would also say.
Now that he has a daughter named Helena with Wag Raiane, Jesus will be bringing that contagious energy to Arsenal, where he will be reunited with Mikel Arteta, his old City assistant.
Locals have celebrated their favorite son by painting a mural of him in honor of his career to date. But now it just has to be painted red.