Former Brazil World Cup winner Juliano Belletti has tipped Gabriel Jesus to become one of the best players in the world.
Jesus made a stunning start to his City career last January, before suffering an injury that ruled him out until the back end of the season.
However, ex-Chelsea and Barcelona defender Belletti told the Mirror that Jesus has the ability to be a world star over the coming years.
“We have the World Cup and after that maybe it is possible he can become one of the best in the world,” he said. “Definitely in the next year.
“It (Jesus’s start at City) was a good surprise for me, because when you arrive in the middle of the season there is a lot of pressure and expectation and he’s young.
“But his personality and his confidence was amazing.
“It’s all about confidence. The confidence you need in Brazil is not the same confidence in England.
“You need to arrive, to feel comfortable to be able to play your foot
“So when he arrived here, from the first minutes he took the ball he showed confidence and that’s very important.
“It’s about adaptation. It’s not the same football. Maybe more physical. It’s faster.
“You must not bring Brazil with you. You need to think as an English player, but always with confidence to play your football.”
Jesus has drawn comparisons with many of Brazil’s top striking talents, but Belletti insists the City forward was very much his own man.
“Gabriel has his own quality – he’s a different kind of player,” he added.
“He’s very intelligent, he has a lot of personality as Ronaldo and Romario had, but I don’t see him like them. He’s different.”
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
