Gabriel Jesus snubbed Barcelona and Real Madrid to join Manchester City, says persuasive pal Fernandinho
Barca enlisted Neymar to try to convince Jesus to join him at the Nou Camp and Real were hot on the wonderkid’s heels too
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FERNANDINHO must be some sweet talker.
Yes, world football’s hottest property Gabriel Jesus had the options of joining his good mate Neymar in balmy Barcelona or teaming up with the reigning European champions Real in sunny Madrid.
But SunSport can reveal Jesus opted for the Etihad after getting the gospel on City from his Brazil and now Manchester City team-mate.
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Barca enlisted Neymar to try to convince Jesus to join him at the Nou Camp and Real were hot on the wonderkid’s heels too, so Fernandinho’s patter must be second to none.
And he convinced the youngster by telling him he would get more first-team chances under Pep Guardiola than he would in Spain.
The £30million midfielder pointed the City manager's record of blooding youngsters at his previous clubs to back up his case.
A personal phone call from Pep sealed the deal and Jesus, 19, signed on the dotted line in a £28.6m deal in early August.
And after the sensational start he has made, with three goals in his last two games. City fans are already thanking Fernandinho - as well as the almighty - that Jesus is theirs.
"I just asked him to choose City - to come here. I talked to him and was honest with him,” the former Shakhtar Dontesk man reveals.
“A lot of big teams wanted to sign him, especially Barcelona and Real Madrid. I just told him ‘look, you can take the team sheets of Barcelona and Madrid and see what player of 19 years old plays there in the starting 11.'
"But you have Pep here at City and he loves to have young players in the team - to give this opportunity for young players. I said to him 'you will have the opportunity to play here. Maybe not in the starting 11 all the time, but to come on regularly'.
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"He made his choice. I just talked to him as a friend."
Trying to keep Sergio Aguero out of the starting line-up is a formidable prospect for any 19-year-old. But Fernandinho reckons Jesus is already learning how to handle pressure - having been given the iconic Brazil No 9 shirt. Although not quite in the same bracket as the 10, national heroes such as Ronaldo, Tostao and Careca have all pulled on the one inherited by Jesus - and it was considered a huge statement.
Fernandinho adds: "He has already shown he can cope with this pressure - he's played as a No 9 in the Brazilian national team.
"It's one of the most prestigious national teams in the world, one of the most prestigious positions - so then you know you have something good.”
The amazing success he has enjoyed in the last 12 months has led to him being dubbed the 'new Neymar' in his homeland. Fernandinho says the talent is there for him to become one of the stars of European football in the next few years. But he does not want fans to expect too much too soon from the youngster.
"He’s in Europe just one month and it’s so, so early to talk about comparisons,” he says. “But for the next five, six, seven years he is going to be one of the best strikers in Europe for sure. He has that same quality.
“We just need to keep calm. Remember he is just 19 and at that age you have to be calm because things come so quickly it seems. But I expect him to improve a bit more.
"He needs to learn a few things more, but that’s normal and we will help him."
Jesus honed his skills playing on the streets with his friends in Sao Paolo - and Fernandinho says that can be seen in the way he plays. But he also believes his young pal has some of the right characteristics needed to cope with life in he Premier League.
“His personality is like you've seen: calm,” he says. “He is clever also, intelligent and always wanting to learn. This is one of the most important things, to be a good person and consequently a good player.
"That’s the best way to be a good player, not to put so much pressure on himself but to play free as he was playing with his friends when he was 12, 13 years old. That's how he plays.
“To play in attack is also easier than to play in defence or centre midfield. But to score goals as he is doing is good and I hope he can keep doing that."
The instant impact made by Jesus - three goals and two assists in his first three appearances - has surprised many people. But not Fernandinho - he's seen the quality at first hand and was always excited by what he would bring.
"I’m not surprised because I knew him before he came to City, I played with him in the national team. I knew his quality. I’m happy for him, he’s only been here a month and started to play very well, scored two goals against Swansea and his performances show how good he is.”