Nottingham Forest look to have a gem on their hands with Igor Jesus, who scored the winning goal against PSG in the Club World Cup on Thursday.
Jesus has said goodbye to the Botafogo fans ahead of his move to Forest, which will be finalised and announced after Botafogo’s stint in the Club World Cup.
That stint looks to be going beyond the group stages, though, after Botafogo followed up their 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders with a 1-0 victory over the Champions League holders, PSG.
His goal led to John Textor shining Jesus’ boots as a sign of gratitude, with the Brazilian media equally impressed by the 24-year-old’s performance against the French giants.
Igor Jesus celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 match between Botafogo and Seattle Sounders
Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Botafogo now lead group B on six points after two games, making their pathway into the knockout rounds increasingly likely.
Jesus was praised by the media as a key part of the win against Seattle, and they have once again hailed his impact after the winning goal against PSG.
Brazilian outlet GE Globo gave him a 9/10 rating, saying: “He scored a goal in a classy move. He ran at the right time in the space provided by the PSG defence, managed to finish against two defenders and was even lucky enough to score.
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“In addition to the ball in the net, he was important in holding the ball in the pivot and winning free kicks in midfield.”
They were right to point out that it wasn’t just the goal that was impressive about Jesus’ display, as his all-around game shone through to help Botafogo hold off PSG.
Igor Jesus produced a complete striking performance vs PSG
Chris Wood had an incredible season for Forest, so Jesus will have to seriously impress to earn a starting spot from Nuno Espírito Santo. However, his display against PSG showed that he can compete with Wood’s physicality as well as his goals.
Statistic Igor Jesus vs PSG
Goals 1
Aerial duels won 5/9
Headed clearances 3
Jesus was able to compete in the air against Lucas Beraldo and Willan Pacho, two physical defenders who will resemble the likes that he will come up against in the Premier League.
Winning five of his aerial duels was impressive enough, but completing three headed clearances will have particularly impressed the Forest coaching staff, who often utilise Wood to head away opposition corners.
The Club World Cup is turning out to be the perfect stage for Jesus to showcase what he can offer to Forest, with the defensive strength of Atletico Madrid up next for Botafogo.