The name on everyone’s lips these days is Gabriel Jesus. The teenage starlet has had a stunning start to his Premier League career with Manchester City and may have already won over manager Pep Guardiola, who has started him twice over experienced striker Sergio Aguero.
The Brazilian had long been on the radars of several top clubs but ultimately rejected Barcelona for Manchester City since he wanted to play under Pep Guardiola who has a proven track record of developing youngsters. Jesus has lit up the Premier League in just 3 appearances for the Citizens and the future looks bright for this youngster.
Jesus arrived at Manchester City from Brazilian club Palmeiras where he got his big break in professional football. As a child, Jesus like most other Brazilians started off as a street football player only to climb up the ladder and step into pro football. His arrival in England has been nothing less than marvellous. A poor boy who survived on food packets has now become one of the biggest teenage prospects in world football.
Let’s take a look at 5 interesting things you probably didn’t know about Gabriel Jesus:
#1 The #33 jersey
One of the Brazilian’s demands, when he arrived at Manchester City, was to get the #33 shirt. The player donned the same number at Palmeiras and wanted to continue with it at Manchester City as well. The number certainly is not the most wanted in the world of football and nobody really knew what the reason was.
However, it has now been revealed that Gabriel Jesus is from a very religious family and the number is a tribute to Jesus Christ. It is widely believed that 33 was the age at which Jesus Christ was crucified and Gabriel’s faith in God ultimately lead him to chose the #33 shirt. We hope that his faith in God repays back in the form of more great performances by this youngster.
#2 Ronaldo sees himself in Gabriel Jesus
Jesus suddenly became the next thing when Brazil’s Ronaldo came out on record and said that he saw many similarities between him and the then Palmeiras striker. In a TV interview, Ronaldo said:
"I see many similarities between us. He is young and is already very successful with a lot of responsibility. He has a footballing career ahead of him and is already delighting us with what he does."
Back then, Jesus had just made it to the Brazilian squad which was gearing for the Olympics and all eyes were on the Selecao to win the Olympic Gold in Football. The team surely did not disappoint as they beat Germany on penalties to clinch the gold medal.
#3 Winner of Brasilerao Golden Ball
The Bola de Ouro or the Brasilerao Golden Ball is an annual award given to the best player in the Campeonato Brasileiro, which is the Brazilian football league. A panel of sports journalists watch every match of the league and then give ratings based on their observations. After the league's end, the player with the highest average is awarded the Bola De Ouro and facilitated for his all round performance.
Jesus won the award for 2016 as he scored 12 goals in the league. The player carved a niche for himself after receiving this award as he now sat in the company of some of the famous winners of the prestigious award like Romario, Ronaldinho, Neymar, Pele and Zico among others.
#4 League winner with Palmeiras
If you believe that Jesus’s move to Manchester City was fuelled with solely the wish to win more trophies, think again. The Brazilian was instrumental in Palmeiras first league title in 22 years as he fired up by providing 12 goals for his team. Palmeiras is now the most decorated club in Brazilian history with 9 league titles, one more than Neymar’s ex-club Santos.
The biggest man in the team was surely their top scorer Gabriel Jesus who had already signed for Manchester City but stayed on till the end of the season in Brazil. This league victory came after the player won the Brazilian Young Player of the Year award in 2015. The player also ended 2016 as the joint top scorer with Phillipe Coutinho for Brazil and this was the first time the accolade was not won by Neymar.
#5 Aggressive attitude
Often skills and trickery are the first qualities that come to your mind when you think of a Brazilian footballer. However, Gabriel has that one trait that is not generally associated with players of Brazilian descent- Aggression. The player has often been called out for being a fighter on the pitch. In fact, the player has himself admitted to the fact that he likes being aggressive when he’s going forward and is not afraid of tough tacklers at all.
The young lad has been called a fiery character by several commentators. In his last year at the Brasilerao, only two players received more yellow cards than his 11 bookings. In a league which is very physical, these traits will certainly help Jesus in becoming a more prolific player. The player's grit and determination to win are two of his biggest qualities and will push him to strive for more success.
