Background
Born in São Paulo Paulo, Gabriel Jesus grew up in the neighborhood of Jardim Peri, Cachoeirinha.
Born in São Paulo Paulo, Gabriel Jesus grew up in the neighborhood of Jardim Peri, Cachoeirinha.
Early career
After initially playing street football, he joined amateur clubs in the region, his last one being Associação Atlética Anhanguera. Palmeiras
On 1 July 2013, after impressing with Anhanguera, Gabriel Jesus signed a youth contract with Palmeiras. He was also the club"s top goalscorer during the year, scoring 54 goals in 48 matches.
In January 2014, after lengthy negotiations, Gabriel Jesus signed a three-year contract for Palmeiras with an additional two, with his salary to increase from R$ 15,000 to four times as much in the fifth year.
The fee to buy him out from his contract increased tenfold to R$ 30 million. However, the deal changed the balance of his economic rights from 75–25% in favour of Palmeiras, to 70–30% in favour of his agents.
Gabriel Jesus scored 37 goals in 22 games for Verdão in the 2014 edition of the state under-17 championship, leading to offers from clubs throughout the country and abroad. He was first included in Palmeiras" squad for a senior match on 27 August 2014, remaining an unused substitute as they lost 0–1 at home to Clube Atlético Mineiro in the first leg of the last 16 of the year"s Copa do Brasil.
He did not make any senior appearances during the campaign, as his side was seriously threatened with relegation.
This decision, took by managers Ricardo Gareca and Dorival Júnior, was widely criticized by the supporters, who demanded a change for the youngster through a petition. He totalled eight appearances, all off the bench, as the Verdão lost on a penalty shootout in the final against Santos. Gabriel Jesus made his first career start on 29 April in the second leg of the second round of the year"s cup, a 1–1 draw at Sampaio Corrêa Futebol Clube (6–2 aggregate).
On 9 May, he made his first appearance in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, starting in a 2–2 home draw against Atlético Mineiro on the first day of the season.
Gabriel Jesus" first professional goal came in the next round of the cup, away to Agremiação Sportiva Arapiraquense on 15 July, the only goal of the two-legged tie. Gabriel was elected Best Newcomer in the league.
Gabriel Jesus was part of the Brazil under-20 team that finished as runners-up at the 2015 World Cup in New Zealand.
He was voted the best newcomer of the 2015 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, a year in which he also helped his team win the Copa do Brasil. = 2015 Gabriel Jesus made his senior debut on 7 March 2015 in the season"s Campeonato Paulista, replacing Leandro Pereira in the 73rd minute of a 1–0 win over California Bragantino at Allianz Parque. On 26 August, his two first-half strikes at the Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto gave Palmeiras a 3–2 win over Cruzeiro Esporte Clube (5–3 aggregate), putting them into the quarter-finals. Four days later he got his first league goals, starting and finishing a 3–2 win over Joinville Esporte Clube. The first goal came after 52 seconds. Gabriel Jesus finished the campaign with four goals from 20 games, and his team defeated Santos to win the cup. He was also a starter in both legs of the finals, but being substituted before half-time due to a shoulder injury. = 2016 On 16 February 2016, Gabriel scored his first goal in the Copa Libertadores group stage, a 2–2 draw away to Uruguay"s River Plate in the opening game, after coming on at the interval in place of fellow youngster Erik Lima. He scored their first goal of the tournament in a 4–2 win over Nigeria in New Plymouth, and converted as they advanced past Uruguay and Portugal on penalties.
