OFFICIAL: Gabriel Jesus has signed from Manchester City on a long-term contract.
The club announcement:
The 25-year-old forward joins us having established himself as one of the leading strikers in the Premier League in recent seasons. He scored 95 goals in 236 appearances in all competitions during his five seasons in Manchester.
Gabriel has won the Premier League title four times, the FA Cup, and the League Cup three times. He is a regular in the Brazil national team, making 56 appearances and scoring 19 times since making his full international debut for his country in September 2016. He was a member of the squad which won the Copa America in 2019. During his international career Gabriel has also notably won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and featured at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Gabriel developed through the youth setup at Palmeiras, signing a youth contract in 2013, with his prolific goalscoring ensuring he quickly progressed into the first-team squad, making his debut as a 17-year-old in March 2015. During his time with Palmeiras, Gabriel was an integral part of the club’s Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A winning side in 2016, when he was voted as the league’s Bola de Ouro – Player of the Season.
Technical Director Edu said: “We are delighted that we have secured the transfer of Gabriel. Everyone who knows football well, knows the qualities of Gabriel Jesus.
"Gabriel is a player who we have admired for a long time now. He is 25 years old and an established Brazil international who has consistently demonstrated that he is a player at a very high level. We look forward to seeing him join up with his new teammates ahead of the new season. We all welcome Gabriel to Arsenal.”
Mikel Arteta added: “I’m very excited. The club has done a tremendous job to recruit a player of this stature. I know Gabriel personally very well, and we all know him well from his time in the Premier League and being really successful here.
"This is a position that’s been on our radar for a long time now and we have managed to get a player that we all wanted, so I’m really happy.”
Gabriel will wear the number 9 shirt and will join up with the Gunners squad for pre-season training soon.
Everyone at Arsenal welcomes Gabriel to the club.
The transfer is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.
Gabriel Jesus’ story has seen him plucked from street football in Brazil to boasting a medal collection the envy of footballers across the globe. Here, we track his progress from being a boy in Brazil to a Premier League hotshot.
THE MAKING OF A STAR
Born in Sao Paulo in 1997, Jesus grew up in the favelas of Jardim Peri in the Cachoeirinha district. Like many kids his age, any spare time was spent playing barefoot on concrete streets, honing the skills that would make him a standout star at an early age.
In 2013, the 16-year-old’s talents were snapped up by hometown side Palmeiras, and right away the goals began flowing. 54 in 48 games came during his first year in their youth setup, while another 37 in 22 followed in 2014.
That form led to a professional deal and subsequent debut in March 2015, and success quickly followed. Jesus’ first campaign saw him help Palmeiras win the Copa do Brasil, with the 18-year-old starting both legs of the final, and individual honours in the form of the Brazilian top-flight’s Best Newcomer Award.
2016 would prove to be Jesus’ breakout year. Having previously been a member of the Brazil side that reached the FIFA U-20 World Cup final, he was selected for the Rio Olympic Games. He netted three times to help his side reach the final, which he started in attack alongside Neymar as the Seleção claimed the gold medal via a penalty shootout win over Germany.
Success was to continue at club level. He rattled in 21 goals in 46 games to help Palmeiras win their first national championship in 22 years, and followed in the footsteps of Carlos Tevez, Ronaldinho and Neymar by claiming the league’s Player of the Year award.
Unsurprisingly, Europe’s elite had caught onto his potential, and by the time he was claiming team and individual accolades, Manchester City had agreed a £27 million deal that would see the 19-year-old swap south-east Brazil for north-west England.
Jesus was thrust straight into action at City, making his debut as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur in January 2017, and showed plenty of promise by netting seven times in his first 10 Premier League outings.
13 more would follow in 2017/18, including a last-gasp winner against Southampton on the final day to take his side to an historic 100-point haul. Even better was to come the following season, as City completed a first-ever English domestic treble by thrashing Watford 6-0 in the FA Cup final, with Jesus getting on the scoresheet twice.
Six weeks later, he again made an impact on the big stage by netting in the final of the Copa America, but despite also being sent-off midway through the second half, Brazil took the title by beating Peru 3-1.
The past two campaigns have seen him add two more Premier League medals to his impressive collection, before deciding to start the next chapter of his story in north London.