Gabriel Jesus had waited 11 long months to be back on the pitch after suffering an ACL injury back in January, and he couldn’t stop smiling after the 3-0 win over Club Brugge.
Our No. 9 came on in the second-half in Belgium, and was immediately involved in the action, hitting the crossbar with one shot, and forcing two saves from the keeper, despite only playing half an hour.
It was as if he had never been away, and he put his recovery down to his faith.
“First of all, I want to say thank you to God,” he said after the game. “If it was not for God, I'm 100 per cent sure I would not be here with this mentality, with this health, with this belief.
“In the first three months, I had a lot of doubts in my head, and then I could be more focused on what God wants from me.”
It was nearly the perfect comeback for the 28-year-old, who came close to netting in our comprehensive win. And he said the way he was able to fit back into the team and find his rhythm has given him plenty of reason to be happy with his night’s work.
“Everyone was expecting me to score,” he smiled, "and obviously, I wanted to score. I had some opportunities, but even with that, I'm so happy and so pleased, because to come back and then to have some touches that I had tonight, and then the way I could move, the way I could keep the ball.
“So with 11 months of helping myself and then feeling scared to come back different, maybe with some limitations, just to walk outside and then play with the boys, I'm so pleased. I feel more than ready.
“So, I'm here to say God saved my life.”
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