SMILE Jesus happy with his game again and young City star puts it all down to advice from his family
GABRIEL JESUS is once again Manchester City’s smiling assassin.
The Brazilian striker has suffered for both club and country over the past 12 months, with a string of injuries and a loss of form.
But four goals in City’s 9-0 Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Burton in midweek gave the 21-year-old his second match ball of the season.
And after taking his club-and-country goal tally for the campaign to 13, the Samba striker’s beaming grin is back again.
Jesus, who is now conducting interviews in English, said: “It is a beautiful feeling to be smiling again.
“Is beautiful the right word? Yes? Well my first love is my mum and my family – but my second love is football.
“Football is my life in Manchester. I am a footballer and I feel blessed by God for this.
“I am so happy again. I know that when I lose the ball or I don’t score a goal then the look on my face is one of frustration.
“I have tried to change that because it does not look good.
“But that is me. Sometimes, if I lose chances it is difficult because I feel so bad.
“But I have learned that is football – sometimes you score, sometimes you lose.”
Gabriel looked like a natural successor to City’s record goalscorer Sergio Aguero when he arrived from Palmeiras for £27million two years ago.
Aguero has re-established himself as Pep Guardiola’s No.1 striker in stunning fashion, but the Argentine has been suffering from a virus and Jesus will be lying in wait for Wolves at the Etihad tomorrow night.
Aguero’s advice has been invaluable, and City’s skipper Vincent Kompany wrote a message on the match ball that Jesus took home after the Burton romp, “Proud of you, Bro. Keep going.” Gabriel’s return to form has coincided with a visit to Manchester from his mum, Vera Lucia.
And he has no problem with being known as a mummy’s boy.
Jesus said: “I am still just 21 years old and my career was just going up when I was back home in Brazil.
“Coming to City has made me think that when you keep trying to get better it doesn’t always work out that way. That’s not just in football, but in life.
“It was hard going to the World Cup as the first striker and not scoring a goal and it has been a tough season.
“But I am happy with my game again. My family helped me. They are so important to keep me going. We all need to have a close family. fa
“Their advice wasn’t just ju about my football, but b about my life.
“Sometimes you go up, u sometimes you go down. d But it is how you y cope with it all that t matters.
“OK, sometimes I won’t w always score, but b working hard for my team still makes me feel happy.”
City lost two P remi er League games over the festive period to slip 10 points be h i n d Liverpool in the title race. But wins over Southampton and Jurgen Klopp’s pacesetters has been followed by FA Cup and Carabao Cup victories over Rotherham and Burton that saw 16 City unanswered goals.
Jesus revealed that Guardiola got his players together to turn City’s fortunes around. He said: “We always have team meetings – and it doesn’t matter if we win or lose with Pep. That’s good, because we always know what we have to do on the pitch and in training sessions.
“When you lose games like we did it is more difficult but you kick on again. Pep always has meetings. He has them before the game, after the game, and even during the game.”