A former Manchester City star recalled a memorable moment with Pep Guardiola that pushed him to leave
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
A former Manchester City star spoke about his time working with Pep Guardiola(Image: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
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Gabriel Jesus knew he needed to leave Manchester City months before his transfer to Arsenal was finalised in 2022. The Brazilian striker celebrated clinching the Premier League title with the Gunners this week, who he signed for after he was reduced to tears by Pep Guardiola's decision to drop him from an important game.
The 29-year-old had arrived at City from Palmeiras, making his debut in January 2017. He claimed four league titles during his stint under Guardiola but was repeatedly required to demonstrate his versatility, facing the daunting challenge of competing with Sergio Aguero for the coveted number nine spot.
In his final campaign at City, Jesus committed to operating out wide, prompting Guardiola to employ a false-nine system. However, the Brazil international was left devastated when the City boss chose to use Oleksandr Zinchenko as the focal point of his attack for a Champions League group stage fixture against Paris Saint-Germain in November 2021.
"There was a Champions League game, PSG, at home, in which he put Zinchenko as a false nine. Crazy thing," Jesus told the Denilson Show in 2023. "The day before, he didn't even use him in training, he had put me in as a striker... Zinchenko even joked with me, 'That day I felt bad for you.'
"Two hours before the game there's a team talk. The team eats, rests for 30 minutes and goes to the game. He told us the team... I didn't even eat.
"I went straight to the room, crying, I called my mother to talk, 'I want to leave.' I'm going home, because he put him (Zinchenko) on, and he didn't put me on. He put a left-back there. I went crazy."
Despite his frustration, Jesus made a decisive contribution when he was eventually introduced. He found the net to swing the tie in City's direction but remained sidelined in the aftermath.
"I didn't warm up. I felt bad. Five minutes after [Kylian] Mbappe scored the goal for 1-0, he (Guardiola) called me," Jesus recalled. "I gave an assist and scored; we turned it around 2-1. In the next [Champions League] game, I thought I was going to play, and I didn't play."
Gabriel Jesus and Pep Guardiola
Gabriel Jesus recalled his emotional reaction to being left out of the Manchester City team (Image: Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)
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It was his shortage of consistent game time, rather than Erling Haaland's later signing, that prompted Jesus to depart four years ago. He hit the ground running for Mikel Arteta's outfit, leading the line as Arsenal emerged as title challengers, and already had a rapport with the boss from his spell at City.
"I talked a lot with Arteta about the style of play," Jesus said to ESPN in September 2022. "He knows me, I know him, I understood what he wanted from me.
"Now, I'm free on the field, playing ball with a smile on my face and trying to do my best always."
Injuries have restricted Jesus to just 13 league outings during Arsenal's title-winning campaign. City's stalemate with Bournemouth on Tuesday handed the trophy to their rivals, meaning Guardiola will end his final season at the helm with a domestic double in the FA Cup and League Cup.
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