Gabriel Jesus is undoubtedly one of this transfer window’s most sought-after football stars. Like betting on a top slot in online casino games to win real money at Casino Las Atlantis, many leading EPL clubs have expressed unwavering interest in the Brazilian youngster.
During his five-year contract, Jesus has made 236 appearances and scored 95 goals for the English football club Manchester City. There have been speculations about where Gabriel would go next as his tenure with Manchester City expires, but Arsenal just announced an agreement to sign a long-term contract with the star.
While Gabriel Jesus’ career seems headed for the stars, his recent predicaments are a cause of concern to some fans. The Brazilian striker was sent off the pitch in the Copa America 2021 quarterfinals match against Chile after receiving a red card. His team won the game, but he faced a suspension for two matches, with further penalties. The disciplinary commission, Conmebol, said the star revealed his studs on Chilean left-back Eugenio Mena. The Manchester City star also faced a fine of $5,000.
The suspension saw him miss the Copa America semifinals, and he will also not play in the finals. However, the star apologized for the incident, terming it an accident. In 2019, the attacker was also off-pitch after a harsh tackle in a match that his team won against Peru. As a result, he becomes the only player to receive a red card twice under coach Tite.
Overall Player Bio and Career Stats
Here is a quick overview of Gabriel Jesus’ bio and overall career statistics.
Name: Gabriel Fernando de Jesus
Date of Birth: April 3, 1997
Place of Birth: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Height: 1.75 m
Nationality: Brazil
Position: Attack-Center-Forward
Foot: Right
Current Club: Arsenal
Market Value: Current market value is 50 million Euro; the Highest market value is 80 million Euro
Career Stats
| Appearances (subs) | 347 (104) |
| Goals (P) | 130 (5) |
| Assists | 41 |
| Yellows | 44 (1) |
| Reds | 2 |
| Minutes Played | 22,532 |
Humble Beginnings
Gabriel Fernando de Jesus is a professional footballer, born on April 3, 1997, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Currently, he plays as the central forward for the Premier League club Arsenal and Brazil’s national football team. The youngster has steadily risen from playing barefoot on dirt pitches in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to becoming one of the most sought-after football stars today. As his childhood football coach, Francisco Mamede, narrates, Jesus’ drive for football mainly started as an escape from the harsh conditions in the favelas in his neighborhood. Like most kids who attended the Saturday football training in Sao Paulo’s military prison grounds, he received a box of free introductory food provisions for his family from the club.
Life in the slums was often unpredictable, and the junior club, Pequeninos do Meio Ambiente, mainly existed to take kids off the streets. Like many other children trapped in street life, Gabriel was committed to football and never missed training. His former coach at Pequeninos, Mamede, says Gabriel was a singularly focused kid, always first in line for the drills and exercises. He was not a lazy player as most of his mates, skillfully dodging defenders twice his size on the dusty pitches. Gabriel’s quiet self-confidence shone brightly during those early days, earning him the nickname, Tetinha, a slang that means “easy-peasy.”
Gabriel was, by all accounts, a free spirit both on and off-pitch. The only thing that often seemed to worry the youngster was losing a football game. His coach recalls that he used to cry a lot whenever his team lost. In his last match with Pequeninos, Gabriel scored all four goals, beating a team that was four years unbeaten. However, his team lost the finals due to their unpreparedness and lack of proper football boots. Mamede says that particular defeat stuck with Gabriel for a long time. Towards the end of his tenure at Palmeiras, the youngster returned to his former team to deliver 250 pairs of new football boots.
Gabriel and his three siblings had tough beginnings in life. Perhaps, that is why he never wavered in his pursuit of becoming a professional footballer. A single mother, Vera Lucia, whom he describes as the most important figure in his life, raised him. While his mother put up the other siblings to work from age twelve to augment the household’s income, she recognized Gabriel’s talent and passion early on and spared him the time to focus on football.
The Rise to Stardom
Gabriel Jesus’ career started off at age eight at Clube Pequeninos do Meio, before shifting to Associacao Atletica Anhanguera. As some describe, his rise to stardom hit the gas when the young player moved to Palmeiras, scoring record-breaking 54 goals in 48 games in Brazil’s Under 17 State Championships in 2014. Later, he joined the senior team in January 2015. He made his first appearance with the senior team three months later, coming in as a substitute against CA Bragantino in the 73rd minute.
Gabriel did not take long to find his way into Brazil’s U-20 national team for the 2015 U-20 World Cup, where he scored one goal in 6 matches. That earned him an award as the “Best Newcomer” in the 2015 season. He was even called up for Copa America Centenario but failed to make it due to document issues.
Doors continued to open up for the young star as he joined Brazil’s U-23 national team for the 2016 Rio Olympics. He helped the team secure their first football gold in the Olympics after scoring three goals in 6 matches. Gabriel ended the season on a high note, scoring 12 goals in 2016 and 28 goals in 85 games with Palmeiras.
Gabriel Jesus made his first international appearance with Brazil’s national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification in September 2016. He stole the show after scoring a brace and setting up a penalty for his friend and fellow striker, Neymar, in a match against Ecuador. As some analysts describe, Gabriel’s entry into the Brazilian squad quickly pushed them to the finals in Russia. He scored seven goals in 10 matches, with five strikes in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
NATIONAL TEAM CAREER STATS
| # | National Team | Debut | Matches | Goals | Coach | Age |
| 18 | Brazil | Sep 1, 2016 | 56 | 19 | Tite | 19 years |
| 7 | Brazil U23 | Nov 12, 2015 | 6 | 2 | Rogerio Micale | 18 years |
| 10 | Brazil U20 | June 1, 2015 | 9 | 2 | Rogerio Micale | 18 years |
| 11 | Brazil Olympic Team | August 4, 2016 | 6 | 3 | Rogerio Micale | 18 years |
The Road to Glory
Gabriel Jesus has swiftly moved across the ranks, skillfully transcending his humble beginnings in the favelas in Sao Paulo to become an iconic football star with a global following. He joined the EPL side, Manchester City, in the 2017 transfer window for 27 million euros and has been pivotal to the club’s glittering era during the last five years. The club has won four Premier League titles, four Carabao Cups, one FA Cup, and two Community Shields, amounting to 11 honors with Gabriel Jesus. That makes him only second to Fernandinho, who won five Premier League titles with sky blue.
Gabriel won his first Premier League title in the 2017/2018 season after scoring the final day’s goal, helping Man City beat Southampton and elevate the club to an unprecedented 100 points. He also appeared on the club’s squad that won the league in 2018/2019, 2020/2021, and 2021/2022.
Gabriel’s four Carabao Cup successes with Man City came in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. He scored two goals in the 2018/19 FA Cup final, where his team beat Watford, with additional victories in the 2018 and 2019 Community Shields.
Jesus played 236 games with Manchester City, winning the admiration of his coach, Pep Guardiola, and football fans around the globe. He spent about 14,297 minutes on the pitch in the 236 matches, clocking an average of slightly over 60 minutes in each appearance. He featured as a substitute 85 times and started on 151 occasions.
Man City applauds Gabriel as the club’s joint-fifth top scorer in the Premier League since its inception in 1992, scoring 58 goals in the league. He is also the second most prolific player in Brazilian Premier League history, after Roberto Firmino of Liverpool FC. In Man City’s history, Jesus’ 20 strikes in the Champions League make him the third-highest scorer in European competitions.
Gabriel Jesus also made numerous assists to his teammates, registering 46 assists. His most successful season was in 2021/22, where he made nine assists, but the previous season was also a spectacle, with 14 assists. 2019/2020 was Jesus’ highest-scoring season, scoring 23 goals in all the competitions. He also recorded 14 strikes in 34 Premier League appearances, six goals in eight Champions League matches, two in the FA Cup, and one in the Carabao Cup in the 2019/20 season.
Last season, Jesus scored eight goals in the Premier League, with four of those goals registered in Man City’s 5-1 defeat over Watford at the Wembly Stadium. He has so far claimed four hat tricks at the sky blue, with four wins. The Brazilian star currently boasts 56 senior international caps, 50 of which have come during his tenure at the Etihad Stadium. He scored 19 goals during that time, including 14 goals for Brazil.
Career Stats
The following is a compact overview of Gabriel Jesus’ performance in international football competitions since he joined Manchester City.
| Competition | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Second
Yellow cards |
Red cards | Minutes
Played |
| Premier
League |
159 | 58 | 32 | 15 | – | – | 9,304’ |
| Serie A | 47 | 17 | 6 | 16 | – | – | 3,621’ |
| Champions
League |
37 | 20 | 5 | 6 | – | – | 2,113’ |
| FA Cup | 20 | 10 | 8 | 1 | – | – | 1,736’ |
| EFL Cup | 16 | 7 | 1 | – | – | – | 898’ |
| Libertadores | 5 | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 341’ |
| Community
Shield |
1 | – | – | – | – | – | 77’ |
| TOTAL | 285 | 116 | 52 | 39 | – | 1 | 18,090 |
Transfer History
Gabriel Jesus is a relatively young player who has not moved across many clubs like many other iconic football stars. The following table highlights his transfer history over the years.
| Season | Date | Left | Joined | MV (Euro) | Fee (Euro) |
| 22/23 | Jul 4, 2022 | Man City | Arsenal | 50.00m | 52.20m |
| 16/17 | Jan 1, 2017 | Palmeiras | Man City | 16.00m | 32.00m |
| 14/15 | Jan 1, 2015 | Palmeiras U17 | Palmeiras | – | – |
The Brazilian star has only recorded three transfers during his football career, amounting to total transfer fees of 84.20 million euros.
While speculations have been rife about Gabriel Jesus’ next move after Man City, Arsenal FC signed the striker on a long-term 45 million Euro contract on July 4, 2022. That will see the 25-year-old reunite with his former coach, Pep Guardiola’s assistant, Mikel Arteta. Jesus confirmed the signing in an interview, saying he had spoken to Mikel on multiple occasions about the club, the players, the project, and the future.
Many Arsenal fans have applauded the move, citing the club needed a proper reinforcement after Alexandre Lacazette’s departure, and Jesus perfectly fits the profile. Mikel Arteta said Arsenal had done a tremendous job recruiting the Brazilian star, and he is very excited about him. He confirmed the position has been on Arsenal’s radar for a long time, and they have managed to get a player they truly wanted.
Arsenal FC’s Technical Director, Edu, also expressed the club’s delight at securing Gabriel’s transfer, describing him as an established Brazilian international who has consistently demonstrated his ability to perform at the highest levels. The star will wear the number 9 shirt, and fans expect him to soon join the Gunners squad for pre-season training. Although the professional football scene is home to many stars, Gabriel Jesus is a unique character that combines nature and nurture. Jesus i