Gabriel Jesus reveals incredible story of how he almost had both legs broken while playing on Brazil streets
Manchester City forward grew up competing against 'hard men' and one mesmerising dribble left them so angry they wanted to cause serious pain
GABRIEL JESUS has revealed how he almost had both his legs broken by bullies when he was a kid growing up.
The Manchester City forward, 20, has been in top form this season for Pep Guardiola's Premier League leaders with eight goals and two assists.
But it was growing up on the streets of Sao Paulo where he really developed the skill that would turn him into one of the world's best.
It came at a cost, however, with his mesmerising talent infuriating opponents so much that they wanted to "kill" him.
Writing in the , Jesus revealed: "At 13 years old, I started playing with grown men in the Várzea.
"OK - everybody in São Paulo knows what I’m talking about right now (and they probably just started laughing). But for everybody else, I will explain...
"The Várzea is kind of like street basketball in America, or like the semi-professional football leagues in Europe.
"The pitches are all dirt, and you’re playing against the marmanjo — the 'hard men'. It’s known for being extremely physical. There was a lot of nasty stuff going down on the field.
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"I’ll never forget one moment... We were playing a very important match against this big team.
"They’d always had one of the best teams in the Várzea, but they’d been out of the league for a few years for reasons that I don’t want to get into. There’s probably kids reading.
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"This was their first year back in the league, and they were playing us in a game to qualify for a big tournament.
"I remember all their players were looking at me before the match like, 'Who is this little-a** kid? Is this serious?'
"It was serious.
"Four minutes into the match, I dribbled their best defender and scored a goal, and I remember them all looking at me like, OK, kid. We’re going to make your life hell.
"So they started beating me up every time I touched the ball. They got pretty crazy - like they were really coming after me to hurt me. This one short midfielder on their team was known to be a bully, and he kept saying, 'I’m going to break your legs if you try to dribble me again'.
"So I got the ball and I dribbled him again.
"It was like the NBA. I broke his ankles. I made him fall right on his a**.
"Now they were looking at me like they were going to actually kill me.
"But what can I say? When I have the ball at my feet, I’m in different world. So I got the ball again, and I did a no-look dummy pass to my team-mate for a goal.
"The crowd was going crazy.
"The game ended up finishing 2-2, and we won on penalty kicks. They were so pi**ed. At the whistle, the bully turned to me and said, 'I told you I was going to break your legs, kid. I’ll see you in the parking lot'.
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"He was serious. It was pretty intense. I remember thinking, Wow... I might not get out of here. Luckily, though, my team-mates protected me. They all gathered around me and got me to the parking lot without any trouble, and I made it home safe."
Amazingly, Jesus then goes on to explain how the same man who threatened to end his career before it had even truly begun then bumped into him last Christmas in Brazil.
The former Palmeiras star wrote: "Last Christmas, I went home to see my family, and I had to go to the bank to do some paperwork. So I pull my car into the parking lot, and the guy taking the tickets in the little booth. This guy looks familiar. And he’s giving me this look, like he knows me.
"He hands me my ticket. But he’s still looking at me. And then he says, 'Hey little kid! Little kid!'
I’m looking back and him, like, Huh?
"He says, 'Remember me? The Várzea, bro! I was going to break your legs!'
"I’m like, Oh my god. I didn’t know what he was going to do. And then he says, 'Man, I was really going to break your legs. Can you believe that?'
"And I was trying to play it cool, like, 'Come on, bro. No you weren’t. I know you were kidding.'
"And he says, 'No, bro. No. I was really going to break your legs. And now you play for my favourite team, man! I love you, bro! I can’t believe it! Can you imagine if I had broken your legs?'
";We laughed, and I took a picture with him."