Gabriel Jesus facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Gabriel Jesus

Gabriel Jesus with Brazil in 2018

Personal information

Date of birth

3 April 1997 (age 28)

Place of birth

São Paulo, Brazil

Height

1.75 m

Playing position

Forward

Club information

Current club

Arsenal

Number

Youth career

2010–2012

Anhanguera

2013–2015

Palmeiras

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

2015–2017

Palmeiras

(16)

2017–2022

Manchester City

159

(58)

2022–

Arsenal

(18)

National team^‡

2015

Brazil U20

(1)

2015–2016

Brazil U23

(5)

2016–

Brazil

(19)

Honours

Men's Football

Representing Brazil
Copa América
Winner	2019 Brazil
Runner-up	2021 Brazil
Summer Olympics
Gold	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Team
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Runner-up	2015 New Zealand

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:38, 4 January 2025 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21 October 2023

Gabriel Fernando de Jesus (born 3 April 1997) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Arsenal club in England and the Brazil national team.

Gabriel Jesus started his senior club career at Palmeiras in Brazil. There, he was named the Best Newcomer in 2015 and helped his team win the Copa do Brasil. In 2016, he won the Bola de Ouro award, which is given to the best player, and helped Palmeiras win their first national league title in 22 years.

In January 2017, Jesus moved to the English club Manchester City for a transfer fee of about £27 million. With Manchester City, he won four Premier League titles, three EFL Cups, and an FA Cup. In July 2022, he joined Arsenal in a deal worth £45 million.

Before playing for the senior Brazil team, Gabriel Jesus played 21 games and scored 7 goals for Brazil's youth teams. He reached the final of the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup and won an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He made his first appearance for the senior Brazil team in September 2016. He played in the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022, and also in the Copa América in 2019 and 2021, winning the tournament in 2019.

Early Life and Football Beginnings
Club Career Highlights
International Career
Style of Play
Personal Life
Career Statistics
- Club
- International
Honours and Awards
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Football Beginnings

Gabriel Jesus was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He grew up in a neighborhood called Jardim Peri. His mother, Vera, raised him and his two brothers by herself. He started playing football on the streets, which is common in Brazil. Later, he joined amateur clubs in his area, with his last one being Associação Atlética Anhanguera.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Palmeiras

Jesus warming up for Palmeiras in 2015

On 1 July 2013, Gabriel Jesus signed a youth contract with Palmeiras. He was the club's top goal scorer that year, scoring 54 goals in 48 matches.

In January 2014, after some talks, Jesus signed a three-year contract with Palmeiras. He scored 37 goals in 22 games for Palmeiras in the 2014 under-17 championship. This led to offers from many clubs in Brazil and other countries.

Gabriel Jesus made his first senior team appearance on 7 March 2015. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win. He played eight games that season, all as a substitute. His team lost in the final of the state championship.

His first professional goal came on 15 July 2015 in a cup game. He scored the only goal in a two-game series. A few weeks later, he scored his first league goals, helping Palmeiras win 3–2. He finished that season with four goals in 20 games. His team won the cup, and he was named the Best Newcomer in the league.

In 2016, Jesus scored his first goal in a continental competition, the Copa Libertadores. He scored twice in a game against Rosario Central but was sent off for the first time in his career after a disagreement with another player. He later said sorry for what happened.

In the first game of the 2016 national season, Jesus scored two goals in a 4–0 win. He scored 12 goals as his team won their first national championship since 1994. He was named the Bola de Ouro, which means he was the player of the season.

Moving to Manchester City

Jesus with Manchester City in 2018

On 3 August 2016, it was announced that Gabriel Jesus would join Premier League club Manchester City in January 2017. The transfer was completed on 19 January 2017.

Jesus played his first Premier League game on 21 January, coming on as a substitute. A week later, he started his first game for Manchester City and helped set up a goal. On 1 February, he started his first Premier League game and scored his first goal for the club. He became the first Manchester City player to have a goal and an assist in his first Premier League start.

In his fourth game, Jesus broke a bone in his right foot and was expected to miss the rest of the season. However, he came back in April. He finished the 2016–17 season with seven goals and four assists in 11 games.

He scored his first Premier League goal of the 2017–18 season on 26 August. He scored the last Premier League goal of that season in the 94th minute, helping City reach a record 100 points. On 3 August 2018, Jesus signed a new contract with Manchester City until 2023.

On 9 January 2019, Gabriel Jesus scored four goals in one game for the first time in his career. This happened in a 9–0 victory against Burton Albion. On 13 March 2019, Jesus scored in a 7–0 win in the UEFA Champions League, helping the club match a record for the biggest winning margin in the knockout stage. On 22 June, he changed his jersey number from '33' to '9'.

On 7 August 2020, Jesus set up one goal and scored another in a 2–1 win against Real Madrid in the Champions League. His strong pressure caused two mistakes from a Real Madrid defender, helping Manchester City reach the quarter-finals. He was the only player to score in two separate games against Real Madrid that season.

On 23 April 2022, Jesus scored four goals in a 5–1 home win against Watford. This was his first time scoring three or more goals in a Premier League game.

Joining Arsenal

On 4 July 2022, Gabriel Jesus signed a long-term contract with Arsenal and was given the number 9 shirt. On 5 August, he played his first game for Arsenal. On 13 August, in his second match, he scored his first two goals for the club and also helped set up two others in a 4–2 win. On 31 August, Jesus scored Arsenal's first goal in a 2–1 win, helping them keep their perfect winning streak going at the start of the season. He was later chosen as Arsenal's Player of the Month for August 2022. On 1 October, Jesus played in his first North London Derby, a big game against rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and scored as Arsenal won 3–1.

On 12 March 2023, he played his first game after recovering from a knee injury he got during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He scored twice in Arsenal's 4–1 win against Leeds United on 1 April, which were his first goals since his injury. He finished his first season with 11 goals and six assists.

On 3 September 2023, Jesus scored his first goal of the 2023–24 season in a 3–1 win over Manchester United. On 20 September, Jesus scored in a 4–0 win against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, as Arsenal returned to the competition after six years. He then scored in Arsenal's next two Champions League games, becoming the first Arsenal player to score in his first three Champions League matches since 2011.

Jesus scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season on 30 October 2024. On 18 December 2024, Jesus scored his first three goals in a single game for Arsenal, helping them win 3–2 in a cup quarter-final. On 12 January 2025, he got a serious knee injury during an FA Cup match, which will keep him from playing for the rest of the season.

International Career

Jesus with the Brazil Olympic team in 2016

Gabriel Jesus was part of the Brazil under-20 team that finished second at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. He scored Brazil's first goal of the tournament and helped them win penalty shoot-outs against Uruguay and Portugal.

In 2016, he was chosen for Brazil's team for the Olympic tournament held in Brazil. He scored once against Denmark and two more goals in the semi-final against Honduras. Jesus and his team won the Olympics by beating Germany in a penalty shoot-out, where he scored one of the penalties.

Jesus made his first appearance for the senior Brazil team on 1 September 2016, in a World Cup qualification game against Ecuador. He started the match and scored two goals, helping Brazil win 3–0. Jesus was Brazil's top scorer in the World Cup qualifiers, with 7 goals in 10 matches.

In May 2018, he was chosen for Brazil's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Jesus started all five games for Brazil in the tournament.

In May 2019, Jesus was part of Brazil's squad for the 2019 Copa América held in Brazil. In the final against Peru on 7 July, he helped set up the first goal and then scored the winning goal. However, he was sent off in the second half after getting a second yellow card. Brazil still won the match 3–1 to win the title.

In June 2021, he was included in Brazil's squad for the 2021 Copa América.

On 7 November 2022, Jesus was named in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He was ruled out for the rest of the competition after getting a right knee injury in the final group stage match against Cameroon.

Style of Play

Gabriel Jesus is a very flexible forward who can play in many attacking positions. He can play as a main striker, a "false 9" (a striker who drops deeper to help midfield), or a winger. Jesus is known for his great technical skills, his ability to dribble past defenders, his creativity, how well he moves around the field, and his hard work.

Former Brazilian star Ronaldo has praised Jesus and said he expects him to have a very successful future with the Brazil national team. His former coach at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, even said that Jesus is the "best striker/defender" he has ever worked with because of his effort on both offense and defense.

When he joined Arsenal, Jesus was mainly used as a striker in their team formation.

Personal Life

Gabriel Jesus moved to England with his mother, his older brother, and two friends. He comes from a religious family. He reportedly chose to wear the number 33 shirt as a tribute to the age when Jesus Christ was crucified. In August 2016, he and fellow footballer Neymar got matching tattoos that show a boy looking over a favela (a Brazilian slum).

Jesus has a special way of celebrating goals called ‘Alô mãe’ ("Hello, mother" in English). He makes a telephone gesture with his hand, and this celebration has even been included in the FIFA video games.

On 25 September 2021, after scoring a goal, Jesus and his partner Raiane Lima announced they were going to have their first child. Their daughter was born in May 2022.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			State league		National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Palmeiras	2015	Série A	20	4	8	0	9	3	—		—		—		37	7
	2016	Série A	27	12	12	5	2	0	—		5	4	—		46	21
	Total		47	16	20	5	11	3	—		5	4	—		83	28
Manchester City	2016–17	Premier League	10	7	—		1	0	—		0	0	—		11	7
	2017–18	Premier League	29	13	—		0	0	4	0	9	4	—		42	17
	2018–19	Premier League	29	7	—		6	5	5	5	6	4	1	0	47	21
	2019–20	Premier League	34	14	—		4	2	6	1	8	6	1	0	53	23
	2020–21	Premier League	29	9	—		5	2	1	1	7	2	—		42	14
	2021–22	Premier League	28	8	—		4	1	1	0	8	4	0	0	41	13
	Total		159	58	—		20	10	17	7	38	20	2	0	236	95
Arsenal	2022–23	Premier League	26	11	—		0	0	1	0	6	0	—		33	11
	2023–24	Premier League	27	4	—		0	0	1	0	8	4	0	0	36	8
	2024–25	Premier League	17	3	—		1	0	4	4	5	0	—		27	7
	Total		70	18	—		1	0	6	4	19	4	0	0	96	26
Career total			276	92	20	5	32	15	23	11	62	28	2	0	415	149

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Brazil	2016	6	5
	2017	7	3
	2018	12	3
	2019	14	7
	2020	2	0
	2021	11	0
	2022	7	1
	2023	5	0
Total		64	19

Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jesus goal.

List of international goals scored by Gabriel Jesus
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1 September 2016	Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador	1	Ecuador	2–0	3–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	1 September 2016	Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador	1	Ecuador	3–0	3–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	6 October 2016	Arena das Dunas, Natal, Brazil	3	Bolivia	4–0	5–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	11 October 2016	Estadio Metropolitano de Mérida, Mérida, Venezuela	4	Venezuela	1–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	15 November 2016	Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru	6	Peru	1–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	10 October 2017	Allianz Parque, São Paulo, Brazil	11	Chile	2–0	3–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7	10 October 2017	Allianz Parque, São Paulo, Brazil	11	Chile	3–0	3–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	10 November 2017	Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France	12	Japan	3–0	3–1	Friendly
9	27 March 2018	Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany	15	Germany	1–0	1–0	Friendly
10	10 June 2018	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	17	Austria	1–0	3–0	Friendly
11	12 October 2018	King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	23	Saudi Arabia	1–0	2–0	Friendly
12	26 March 2019	Sinobo Stadium, Prague, Czech Republic	27	Czech Republic	2–1	3–1	Friendly
13	26 March 2019	Sinobo Stadium, Prague, Czech Republic	27	Czech Republic	3–1	3–1	Friendly
14	5 June 2019	Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília, Brazil	28	Qatar	2–0	2–0	Friendly
15	9 June 2019	Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil	29	Honduras	1–0	7–0	Friendly
16	9 June 2019	Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil	29	Honduras	4–0	7–0	Friendly
17	2 July 2019	Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil	34	Argentina	1–0	2–0	2019 Copa América
18	7 July 2019	Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	35	Peru	2–1	3–1	2019 Copa América
19	2 June 2022	Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea	55	South Korea	5–1	5–1	Friendly