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You know you are one of the greatest when you manage to convince a 19-year-old kid to pass up massive deals to play for Barcelona or Real Madrid and sign with Manchester City. And guess what? That’s exactly what Pep Guardiola did.
Young Gabriel Jesus was getting bombarded from all sides with offers from top notch clubs and incessant questions from the media. We can only guess what kind of pressure that can put a 19-year-old under.
Even Neymar lobbied for him to join the Blaugrana's star-studded roster. But the difference-maker in Jesus's final decision might be nothing more than a phone call.
Sure, you can only imagine how he felt when he heard the voice of Pep Guardiola on the other side of the line. And yet, whatever Pep told him seems to have done the trick.
Jesus’s early announcements at the beginning of the transfer window, when clubs like Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Real Madrid started a bidding war for him, held a tone of indefiniteness. Perhaps even a little hesitation, as he made it clear that he did not want to leave Palmeiras before the end of the year.
That tone changed after Pep’s call.
Jesus sat down for a long talk with Palmeiras’s experienced manager, Cuca, and while the details of said conversation were never revealed; his change in attitude gave some hints of what advice Cuca might’ve given him.
“It was Gabriel who looked for me, and that’s good. I’m old enough to be his father, maybe grandfather if you push it (laughs). It’s good to talk about what we’ve been through and give advice,” Cuca said.
“Life will show you a lot of paths, and you’re going to choose whichever one you like. It's good to talk to him as if he was your son. If he, who’s a humble kid, likes to practice, we even have to tell him to slow down sometimes, walks this path. His future will be wonderful.”
One thing is for sure, though. Jesus will be making his way to play on the other side of the pond. Be it after the Olympics, or in December once he’s done with the Brazilian League.
“My future is almost decided,” Jesus told reporters at a press conference before the Olympics. “My family, my representatives and Palmeiras know where I want to go, but now I’m totally focused on winning gold for my country. The agreement is almost done, but I’m completely concentrated here.”
Jesus is currently the Brazilian League’s top scorer with ten goals in only 14 matches. He also tallied four assists so far in the campaign as Palmeiras holds the top spot in the competition.
