Nottingham Forest fans might have been forgiven for staying up late in the early hours to catch a glimpse of talisman Igor Jesus.
Botafogo took on Ceará on home soil, and before the game, Jesus announced that it would be his final appearance for the team on home soil for the Brazilian champions.
An emotional night awaited at the Estadio Nilton Santos Stadium, with Jesus taking the appreciation of a fan base who have witnessed him grow into a player highly sought-after in Europe.
Forest are now close to signing Jesus. Furthermore, he will be coming alongside two of his teammates – left-back Cuiabano and central defender Jair Cunha – with the Reds moving quickly in the transfer market.
Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Forest are getting a bargain for Jesus. The club are paying around £18 million and in the modern era of over-inflated transfer fees, the early signs in that regard feel positive.
Arsenal courted Jesus last season, but Mikel Arteta was denied his attempts to take the striker to the Emirates Stadium on loan, with Edu, now overseeing some recruitment at Forest, pulling the strings on that occasion.
The Forest-bound striker did finish his final match at the home of Botafogo on the winning side, with the champions running out 3-2 winners during a very entertaining game.
After the match, Globo Esporte summed up his performance, and it sounds as though he was perhaps guilty of trying too hard to ensure that he went out in style by bagging himself a goal.
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On his display, they said: “With a great desire to score a goal in his farewell to Nilton Santos, he wasted a good chance, but was important in some attacking moves. He was applauded by the fans at the end.”
Jesus did at least inspire a brilliant win for Botafogo, who climbed up to sixth place in the Serie A table, moving onto 18 points from the 11 games played during the 2025 campaign.
Igor Jesus stats in final Botafogo appearance
It was amazing to see the reception that Jesus got from the fan base, and given that he looked quite emotional, it appears that Forest are signing a very popular player from Botafogo.
Jesus is still only 24-years-old and it does feel like this is the right time for him to move to England, with Forest keen to land a striker ahead of their UEFA Conference League campaign.
Igor Jesus stats in Botafogo vs Ceara Total
Minutes 90
Accurate Passes 85%
Ground Duels Won 3
Shots 1
Sofa Score Rating 7.1
Igor Jesus stats vs Ceara
The striker was perhaps unfortunate not to get among the goals last night. Still, he has managed seven during the season so far in all competitions and experts believe Jesus is about more than goals.
Now, all eyes will be on the Club World Cup for Forest fans. With games for Botafogo against Atletico Madrid, PSG and Seattle Sounders, it’s fair to say that Jesus will get a stern test from some very decent defenders during those fixtures, and it will be fascinating to witness how the new man performs.