In Barcelona's 5-1 victory over Feyenoord, new signing Gabriel Jesus came off the bench and scored his first goal for the club, a performance praised by Diario Sport.
Jesus has only played a few minutes for Barcelona, but he has already proven himself. His start as a Barcelona player has been very good.
He made his debut on Sunday against Valencia, receiving nine minutes from Flick when the team was down 0-5. On Wednesday, in torrential rain, the Brazilian striker came on in the final seven minutes of the match against Feyenoord, making his debut in front of the Barcelona fans. The time was enough for him to score his first goal for Barça. This goal was significant and helped the team secure their second big win in four days: 1-5. He also had a shot that hit the woodwork.
Jesus said: "I feel the same way I did when I scored my first professional goal, it's a different kind of excitement. This is my first goal in a packed Camp Nou stadium, it's always been a scene I've envisioned, and now I've achieved it in my second game for the club." With this goal, he equaled Rivaldo in the Champions League's all-time leading list of Brazilian players, now tied for fourth with 27 goals.
A highly efficient "Number 9"
The signal has been given. Jesus is one of the world's most efficient strikers in utilizing his playing time. He gives his all in every situation, just as Guardiola once warned him. For the past 10 years, he has ranked fifth in the Premier League for goal involvement per minute, averaging one direct goal involvement every 112 minutes.
In his first goal for Barcelona, he proved himself to be a reliable attacker in tight spaces and effective in areas where a top striker must create space. His header, a deflection of Yamal's brilliant cross, fooled the entire Dutch defense and German goalkeeper Ernst.
Jesus is beginning to make Deco's words more convincing; Deco was the driving force and biggest supporter of the signing. Although still finding his form, Jesus is already scoring goals and putting pressure on opponents. The dressing room and the entire Barcelona fan base are hoping that Jesus can bring even more to this team that is playing so beautifully in both La Liga and the Champions League.
Barcelona, the path back to the Brazilian national team
The impact of that first goal transcended borders, even crossing the Atlantic Ocean, back to his homeland. There, Jesus has always been popular because of his character, ability, and professional attitude.
At the same moment that Barcelona thrashed Feyenoord, Ancelotti was announcing the squad for the next international break's friendlies at the Brazilian Football Confederation headquarters in Barra da Tijuca, western Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil will travel to the other end of the world to play three matches, the quality of which is questionable: first, two matches against Australia, on September 25 in Townsville and September 29 in Brisbane; then, on October 3, against India in Kolkata. Jesus was not selected, but Rafinha was.
The battle for the center forward position in the Brazilian national team
In this new cycle that began after the World Cup, the number 9 position in the Brazilian national team remains open. Igor Thiago and Cunha, both World Cup participants, were not selected. Endric was selected, but Mourinho has yet to give him a single minute of playing time. Another center forward is João Pedro (Chelsea), who was on Deco's shortlist last summer. Ancelotti is making up for not bringing him to the last World Cup with this player. Another center forward is Pedro Rostoli (Flamengo), who already has experience from the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Therefore, Jesus began pressuring Ancelotti to secure a place in the future squad. His dream is to wear the yellow and green jersey again, the last time he would do so, until November 2023. Another dream is to win many titles with Barcelona, a club that places great trust in him, unlike his situation at Arsenal last season.
