Gabriel Jesus

Before N5

Jesus was painting the streets of São Paulo for the 2014 World Cup; two years later he was winning the Brazilian title with Palmeiras and Olympic gold with Brazil in Rio. Manchester City signed him in January 2017, and across five and a half seasons he collected four Premier League titles, an FA Cup and four League Cups while serving as Guardiola's most trusted pressing forward. Arsenal paid £45m in the summer of 2022.

The Arsenal chapter

His first months at Arsenal were electric — pressing, turning, linking, constant menace — before knee injuries began their long campaign against him. The title year was another battle with fitness, but his cameos still raised the team's pressing temperature by several degrees.

How he plays

Jesus leads the press like a conductor, setting traps, curving his runs to cut passing lanes, dragging the whole team up the pitch behind him. With the ball he roams the channels and the left, wriggling through tackles in spaces strikers aren't supposed to enter. He creates chaos by design — and the goals of others as often as his own.

Timeline

• 2015Palmeiras debut; a Brazilian title follows in 2016
• 2016Olympic gold with Brazil in Rio
• 2017Joins Manchester City; four league titles follow
• 2022Arsenal pay £45m for the dressing room's missing swagger
• 2026Fitness-managed forward in the title-winning squad