Gabriel Jesus says he can't remember the last time he played soccer without feeling pain.
Ahead of Arsenal's Champions League quarter-final first-leg match against Bayern Munich, Jesus said his role as a forward is often different from that of a traditional centre-forward, but that he is more likely to play a role like Harry Kane or Erling Haaland. He added that it was “unfair” to compare him to a striker. .
The Brazil international has played most of his appearances for Arsenal this season as a number nine, although he has also been used on the wing by Mikel Arteta.
He has played on the left in the last two games when Kai Havertz was up front, as well as earlier in the season when Eddie Nketiah was leading the line. The 27-year-old also played on the right wing in the 1-0 win over Manchester City in October. He used to play this role at the Etihad Stadium.
“I'm not going to come here and say that Gabi isn't interested in playing as a winger even though his usual position is number nine,” he said. “At this stage of the season, you can't complain. I never complain. If I get the chance, I'm going to show the manager and everyone else why I have to play.”
“At this stage of the season I'm going to put my ego aside and do what the manager wants to do to help the team. It's not easy not only for me but also for Eddie. Kai played a great game and I'm scoring goals. If you want to be at a big club, that's the price you pay.”
Wherever Jesus is performed, he insists on providing context in discussions of himself. Kane and Haaland will face each other in the Champions League on Tuesday, with the latter replacing Kane at Manchester City, so there is a lot of buzz surrounding him.
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Haaland joined City in the summer of 2022, but Jesus was subsequently sold to Arsenal (Joe Prior/Vision House via Getty Images)
Kane has scored 38 goals for Bayern this season, while Haaland has scored 82 goals in 89 games since signing for City. Kane tends to drop into midfield to support the wingers, but both have a much better presence in the box than Jesus, who naturally runs across the pitch.
“Even if I play in the same position as them, I think it's unfair because we are different types of players,” Jesus added. “That's my opinion. This season I played probably 40 percent as a winger, but people only want to know the result and whether I scored a goal or not. That's football today. There are many, but not all, strikers like this. If someone asks me what I think, I never complain.”
Jesus' fitness has also been an issue for Arsenal since joining from City in the summer of 2022. He was a game-changing signing for Arsenal at the start of the 2022-23 season, but he has struggled with injuries since sustaining a three-month injury spell. Knee problem during the 2022 World Cup match against Brazil.
Jesus has been sidelined three times this season (two with knee and one with hamstring), making it a stop-start campaign.
“I'm just trying to stay fit and help Arsenal as much as I can,” Jesus said. “Unfortunately, we had some problems this season, so I hope we don't have those next season.
“Sometimes I feel it (knee pain), but I can't complain because I don't remember the last day I played football without pain. I'm just trying to recover well and that's it. Mentally, I try to keep my mind strong, that’s all.”
Jesús' recent return to fitness is one of many things Arteta has been up to recently. The bench has been significantly strengthened with the return of Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira and Thomas Partey, with Julian Timber now the only player not available for minutes. His experience of being knocked out of the Champions League and his impressive performance as one of the few players in this young team with 24 goals and seven assists in 44 appearances in all competitions is a further boost for Arsenal. .
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(Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
