Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Gabriel Jesus is living his dream of playing for a top team like Arsenal and says he still has a lot of ambitions to fulfill at the Emirates.
THE LOWDOWN: LIVING THE DREAM
It is a familiar story for youngsters growing up in the football-obsessed South American country, yet very few make those dreams a reality. But now Gabriel is one of the top defenders in the Premier League and says he has plenty of ambitions still to fulfil.
Now in his third season at the club, the 24-year-old is desperate to win silverware with Arsenal, and has a burning desire to finally make his debut for the national team, especially after missing out on a call-up last month.
THE LATEST: AMBITIONS AHEAD
Gabriel is yet to taste silverware at Arsenal but declares he wats to win a lot at the Emirates.
“I’ve learnt so much since I got here and over the last two seasons,” he said in an interview with the Arsenal website.
“I knew about the situation that the club was in when I joined, which wasn’t the best, but ever since first wearing this jersey, I’ve had ambitions – big ambitions.
“I have the desire to win trophies here at Arsenal and leave my mark on a club that welcomed me as much as possible. It’s a club that I love and that my family loves. There are certainly big ambitions here.”
He also credited his family for their support in seeing him through from such a young age.
“I can’t put the importance of my family into words,” he added.
“Thank God, I had a very good education. My parents brought me up well. If I wasn’t doing well, my family was always by my side. If I was doing well, they were also there.”
“My inspiration away from football is certainly my father,” he continues. “He battled hard for me to be here today. He’d always wake up early to go to work. He always wanted to get me into football. He’s certainly my inspiration off the pitch. He’s a person who’s always tried to do good things for me.”
Gabriel also took time to explain how he got into football since he was a child.
“I played football in the street with my friends all the time from a young age,” he explains. “We would play every day. There were lots of boys supporting Palmeiras and lots supporting Corinthians, so we’d pretend it was Palmeiras against Corinthians, and everyone wanted to win no matter what.
“I’ve loved football since a young age. Thank God, I’ve managed to keep my football going and my family has been a big part of that. My father has always been by my side for whatever I needed. I’m here today thanks to God and my father.
“There are always difficult moments, of course, but if you want to be a player, you have to get through many tough moments. That was the case for me when I was younger. All of those were a learning curve for me and gave me strength. Now thank God, I can smile while looking back at everything I went through and can see that it was all worth it.”
THE VERDICT: TOP MENTALITY
Indeed, Gabriel has grown over the years but still has some aspects of his game to improve before he can become a world-class defender.
At the heart of defence alongside William Saliba, Arsenal are leading the way at the top of the Premier League and Gabriel will be eager to defy all odds and guide the Gunners to a league title and his first trophy.
