Gabriel Jesus

I remember when I was playing for Pequeninos, I'd see some of the kids after the match with their fathers, and I was alone. That was heavy for me. It marked me. ”

I am a regular kid. I like the simple things, and I always want to improve. ”

I push myself to the limit to do what I most like doing, which is playing football. ”

When I have the ball at my feet, I'm in different world. ”

The Varzea 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. ”

I'm not scared of tough tacklers. ”

I like to define myself as a fighter on the pitch. ”

I realised it was very important to show the fans that I'm a normal person. ”

I'm a normal lad. I've always been quite humble, and I like simple things. ”

When I was younger, I always saw my friends with their mothers and fathers and felt a little jealous of them for having a father close by. ”