2) Gabriel Jesus
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After signing a major £27 million contract to work under the best manager in football and play in the best league in the world, Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus followed that up by making history with Brazil, playing an important part in the Selecao earning the only trophy that has evaded them, the Olympic Gold Medal.
Thus it was no surprise when the senior team’s new boss, Tite, named him in the important clash against Ecuador. Make no mistake, this was a big call – Brazil hadn’t won on Ecuadorian soil for 33 years, and were facing the very real prospect of missing out on qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Jesus responded to his manager’s call, earning the penalty with which Neymar began the scoring, before showing his intelligent prowess in front of goal to stab in Marcelo’s cross. The youngster then curled an exquisite finish with his left foot to bring up his brace, putting him in the company of greats like Pele, Rivaldo and Neymar who scored on their Selecao debut.
Jesus continues to remain grounded, ignoring the hype to focus on Palmeiras, which bodes very well for Brazilian football, who have risen to 5th in their 10-team CONMEBOL qualifying group.
