JESUS IS INTO HEAVY MEDAL
I never leave home without my Olympic and Premier League ‘golds’ says Gabriel
GABRIEL JESUS is so thrilled to be an English champion that when he goes on holiday after the World Cup he will take his medal with him.
Manchester City’s Brazilian striker refuses to let his most precious awards and trophies out of his sight – even when he puts his feet up by the pool.
And the title gong he will collect after City’s home game against Huddersfield next Sunday will get pride of place alongside the Olympic gold Jesus helped the Samba stars win in Rio in 2016. Jesus, 21, keeps most of his football booty at his mum’s home in a Sao Paulo.
But he explained: “There are certain medals that I have to have with me wherever I go.
“If I leave home for a few days, if I go away with the team, or even if I go on holiday, I must have them with me. That’s because they are part of the most special things I have achieved in my life.
“They remind me of something that I am most proud of.
Focused
“The Premier League medal will be one of those medals that will be with me everywhere. It is the same with the Olympic medal. I
need it with me all the time. It is a way to remind me what I have done.
“But it also enables me to be totally focused on what I still want to achieve.”
Jesus has not lost in any of his 24 Premier League starts for City since a £27million move from Palmeiras 18 months ago.
And while the hot-shot from Sao Paulo will spearhead a Brazil attack alongside the two most expensive players on the planet in Neymar and Philippe Coutinho at the World Cup this summer, he believes his humble origins keep him grounded.
Jesus celebrates goals by pretending to hold a telephone to his ear in reference to the pre-match calls his mum Vera Lucia makes to wish him luck and offer a few words of advice.
And when Brazil hosted the World Cup four years ago, he helped to paint the means streets of Jardim Peri in an effort to brighten his favela for the tournament.
Grab
He said: “I always think about my origins and the kid that I was back home in Brazil. I will never forget that I am just a young kid from Jardim Peri who followed his dream.
“For me, everything in life is an opportunity and you have two choices. You can either choose to grab that opportunity and become a better person, or you can decide to turn your back.
“That’s why I don’t think it’s pressure when I am playing as a striker for Brazil or the champions of England.”
Jesus added: “I think it is important to be selfcritical if you want to improve as a player.
“I expect a lot from myself. If I don’t play well then I want to know why.
“Personally, I always ask myself to improve because I am not yet the player I want to be. That attitude is encouraged by the manager.
“But that desire to get better has to come from yourself first.”