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me everywhere. It is the same with the Olympic medal. I need it with me all of 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 been beaten in any of the 24 Premier League starts he has made for City since arriving from Palmeiras in a £27million deal 18 months ago. And, while the hotshot from Sao Paulo will spearhead a Brazilian attack including 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 mean streets of Jardim Peri in an effort to brighten his favela for the tournament. 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. “I am a product of my neighbourhood. My family, my friends, the people I grew up around all helped my development.

“I am the man I am today because of all the good and bad experiences that I’ve had. I feel enriched by what I’ve been through.

“For me, everything in life is an opportunity and you have a choice – 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. I see it as an opportunity to do something I really love doing. I am blessed.”

He added: “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, I want to know why.

“Personally, I always ask myself to improve as 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.”

I’m I’ll never forget just a kid from who Jardim Peri dream followed his