Gabriel Jesus’ tattoo reminds young Manchester City star of the amazing journey he has had from the favelas to Premier League
Brazilian starlet keeps in touch with his roots with favela themed tattoo on his right arm
ON the inside of Gabriel Jesus’ right forearm is a sizeable tattoo.
It depicts a small boy holding a football, gazing up at a notorious Sao Paulo favela.
The ‘JD Peri’ stands for the Jardim Peri favela where Jesus lived until he was 16.
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He is so loved there that a mural depicts him wearing the Brazil No 9 shirt.
Upon signing for City, Jesus said: “I’m very connected to my neighbourhood. If I could, I’d take the entire Peri Garden neighbourhood to form a Jardim Peri in Manchester.”
They say the best things come to those who wait — and Manchester City fans are beginning to realise it.
There were 170 days between City announcing the signing of Gabriel Jesus and him pulling on the famous sky blue shirt for the first time.
That — by the way — was after scouting the Brazilian superstar for a painstaking two years, during which time they sent scouts to watch him more than 50 times.
But all that patience will be rewarded if the former Palmeiras man’s first three appearances for his new club are anything to go by.
And not just that, staff at the City Football Academy have noticed he constantly has a smile on his face and loves to dance.
One Etihad source said: “He’s come in and brought a bit of joy with him.”
A brief but eye-catching cameo appearance against Tottenham was followed by an dazzling full debut on a filthy day at Crystal Palace.
Then there was the 19-year-old’s breathtaking display at West Ham on Wednesday, when he scored his first goal for the club.
Sergio Aguero’s face spoke volumes as he sat on the bench at the London Stadium — he did not know what to think.
Yet the sensational start made by Jesus will not have surprised too many at the Etihad. They have been believers for some time.
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They knew they were getting a special talent, having used their South American network of scouts to watch him so closely.
Then there was the fact Barcelona were so determined to get him that they enlisted their own Brazilian superstar Neymar to try to turn his head.
When City signed him — ahead of Barca and all the top clubs around — they could hardly believe their luck.
The only doubts anyone had was how he would adapt to life — and football — in England at such a young age.
Manchester, after all, is not quite Sao Paolo. But since jetting into the North West early on January 3, he has set about putting minds at rest.
Jesus brought his mother Vera Lucia Diniz de Jesus with him for his new adventure, along with his two best pals from childhood.
Together they moved into a swanky city-centre hotel while they look for a more permanent home — and even the cold weather could not wipe the smile off his face.
Anyone who follows him on Instagram will know he seems to be settling into his new surroundings just fine.
He recently posted a clip of himself dancing to a busker playing a saxophone outside the shops, while there have been others of them larking around their hotel room.
At the club, Jesus has been looked after by fellow Brazilians Fernandinho and Fernando. But he has also struck up a close rapport off and on the pitch with fellow young guns Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling.
The trio have terrorised defenders in the last two matches but are also close around the training ground despite the language difficulties.
That may not be a problem for much longer, though, as Jesus has already started his English lessons.
While the likes of Aguero and David Silva have made little effort, Jesus is already trying to use the simple phrases he has picked up. On the training pitch, while he waited almost three weeks for the paperwork to be completed, the £28million man caught the eye right from the off.
The word from City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, in recent months was always that they were getting something special.
But Pep Guardiola — who made a personal call in July to help clinch the deal — was pleasantly surprised by how good his new signing was.
So too were his new team-mates, with fellow South American Pablo Zabaleta instantly taken by his bravery.
The Argentinian full-back said: “Sometimes for a striker it’s hard when you come to the Premier League, especially when you’re coming from South America where the football is completely different. Here you sometimes have very strong defenders who go in hard on strikers.
“But from what I’ve seen of him in training sessions and also in the games he’s played is that he doesn’t care about that.
“He wants the ball, he tries and he’ll have a fantastic time with Manchester City for sure.
“He’s so young and it’s the same with Leroy. They are the future of this club and hopefully they can have a successful time at City.
“He’s not your typical No 9 that we see in the Premier League who is tall and strong. He is mobile, has skills, is really good on the ball and works a lot without it.”
Quite where the coming of Jesus leaves Zaba’s countryman Aguero is up for debate right now.
The day before Jesus landed, Aguero moved into third place on the club’s all-time goalscorers list — above the great Colin Bell.
It looked only a matter of time before he chased down Eric Brook at the top of the leaderboard on 179.
Yet now you have to wonder whether Aguero’s days of being City’s main man — pretty much untouchable — have suddenly come to an end.
Guardiola said last month he was convinced the two South American forwards could play together in the same team, suggesting Jesus can be effective on the wing. Aguero had better hope he is right.
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