Eight years ago, Gabriel Jesus was practicing his painting while daydreaming of being a football celebrity.

The now 25-year-old Arsenal new boy was captured on camera as a teenager decorating his Sao Paulo neighborhood’s streets while Brazil got ready to host the 2014 World Cup.
After a year, the driven Jesus was already becoming well-known at Palmeiras and proving to be one of the most promising players in his native nation.


By the end of 2016, the striker had already signed a lucrative contract with Manchester City to play in Europe, and he had made his debut for his nation, scoring twice. at the age of nineteen.

Pep Guardiola referred to Jesus as the “best in the world” as a result of his incredible ascent and his following performances for City.
Jesus was injured while holding a paintbrush while painting the streets of Sao Paulo when he was just 17 years old and a standout player for Palmeiras’ youth team.


It was a part of the citizens’ campaign to embrace the nation’s hosting of the 2014 World Cup.

Jesus, therefore, embraced his Jardim Peri neighborhood with zest and added his brushstrokes to liven up a place that was notorious for its subpar housing.


Jesus has honored his hometown by getting a tattoo of a little child staring back at his old neighborhood while holding a football under his arm.
It was there that he honed his football skills, practicing on dirt fields what the locals refer to as the “Varzea” style.

Between the ages of eight and fourteen, he demonstrated his commitment to his trade with the Pequeninos do Meio Ambiente football team in the nearby city of Tremembe.


Not being able to afford the bus price, he would walk an hour and a half every Saturday to training in flip-flops and a pair of worn-out football boots in hand. Maybe it was the eight-mile round trip that shaped him into the devoted and diligent player he is today.