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Gabriel Jesus, if mom if

2020-08-13T13:01:17.082Z


Perfectly supervised by his mother, the Manchester City striker presents himself as a potential poison for the defense of Lyon in the quarter-finals of the Champions League (9 p.m., RMC Sport).


Often in the football world, players' fathers have a major role in their son's career. Alternately adviser, protector, agent… But sometimes the dad happens to be… a mom. For the worse, as unfortunately seems to be the case of Adrien Rabiot not necessarily always well referred by his father. Or for the better, with Vera Lucia Diniz de Jesus, who gave birth on April 3, 1997 to a certain Gabriel Jesus. A mother who represents everything for the young Manchester City striker who lost his father when he was very young and who grew up in a very poor neighborhood north of Sao Paulo. That's probably why he never misses an opportunity to pay tribute to him, as was the case with his phone call-shaped goal celebration that appeared in 2017. “It was a joke with my friends, a "cuckoo mom", he had then explained. “My friends know why, so does my mother. It was a celebration for them. ”

A reference, no doubt, to the many calls from his mother who follows her son's career very closely. Without sparing him a second. "She never compliments me on my goals, and she criticizes me more than she praises me," he told the Daily Mail . I tell him sometimes that his comments could still be nicer. ” And the Brazilian added in another interview, this time for RMC Sport  : "My mother keeps telling me what to do on the pitch." Like the time she told him, "Gabriel, learn and focus more so you don't get left out." A situation that should not always be easy to manage when you already have a coach called Pep Guardiola.

"It's hard to find a player like Gabriel with such importance in Europe"

Pep guardiola

The Spaniard is less stingy in compliments than the Brazilian's mother: "it's hard to find a player like Gabriel in Europe with such importance", had dropped the former Barcelona coach a year ago about from his center-forward. “His behavior in training is incredible, he has to fight for his place against a legend like Aguero, which is not easy at all. Gabriel has to be patient, I know that when he plays he gives absolutely everything he has and his future at this club looks incredible. ” Unfortunately for the Brazilian international (39 caps), since then, Guardiola's position would have varied and Manchester City would no longer close the door to a departure concerning him, in the event of an offer greater than 60 million euros, however. Logical for a striker who is only 23 years old and who remains on his best season with 23 goals in all competitions, so 6 in the Champions League. Starting with those, one on the first leg and another on the return, which were decisive in eliminating Real Madrid in the round of 16 (double victory for Citizens 2-1).

Even if he still remains very perfectible on the mental level and that he must gain in regularity, Gabriel Jesus follows an ascending curve of progression since he arrived in Manchester four years ago for 32 million euros, so that he was only 19 years old. This did not prevent his CV from already mentioning an Olympic title won in Rio in 2016 as well as a national title with Palmeiras. Sign of his formidable potential, the Brazilian made a thunderous start with the Citizens by scoring four goals in his first five matches before… breaking the fifth right metatarsal, synonymous with three months of stoppage. This halt, at such a young age and for his first steps in Europe, him the child of the favelas, could have dealt a fatal blow to his career. But well surrounded by his mother who advises him, guides him and manages his income by giving him a little money in his pocket to prevent him from being overtaken by the madness of grandeur and bling-bling, the attacker overcomes this test and comes back even stronger to finish the season with 5 more goals.

Gabriel Jesus-Aguero, same fight

The rest will not have been so fabulous. Even if he becomes an important player in the Citizens' squad, he does not really manage to come out of the shadow, necessarily invasive, of his elder Aguero. A worldwide reference. Confined to a role of luxury replacement, Gabriel Jesus had a very good second season in the Le Mans jersey (13 goals in the Premier League) before declining in 2018-2019 (only 7 goals). But this year, the Brazilian has been able to take advantage of each absence of his Argentine partner, more and more often injured at 32, to showcase himself. In a similar style since Aguero and Gabriel Jesus have morphologies (1.75m and 73 kilos for the Auriverde, 1.73m and 70 kilos for the Gaucho) and similar qualities. Which is why they are so interchangeable. No need, therefore, for Lyon to rejoice in the absence of the Argentine for the quarter-final of the Champions League this Saturday. The Brazilian can prove to be just as dangerous. Even more. 

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  • Despite massive spending, defense remains City's Achilles heel

Source: lefigaro

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