‘Eleven months of doubt’: Gabriel Jesus promises Arsenal his best after emotional comeback | OneFootball

Gabriel Jesus walked back into the Champions League spotlight on Wednesday night looking like a man reborn. After 11 months out with a serious ACL injury, the 28-year-old forward returned in Arsenal’s record-breaking sixth straight win in this season’s competition and declared that the best version of him is still to come.

His cameo was sharp, energetic and full of the trademark movement Arsenal have sorely missed. But it was his words afterwards, filled with relief and gratitude, that underlined how hard the road back has been.

“I felt so good,” he said. “First of all I want to thank Jesus, my saviour. If it wasn’t for Jesus, I would not be here strong the way I am now, so all the glory for Jesus.”

Jesus hadn’t played since January after suffering a major knee ligament injury, the latest in a career littered with setbacks, from recurring muscle and groin issues to previous long-term knee problems both at Arsenal and Manchester City.

This one, he admits, broke him more than the others.

“The first question was: why?” he said. “Every single day, the first two or three weeks, I asked why it happened to me now. I’d just started to score goals and play good again.”

The turning point came, he says, through faith. “I needed to be more close to God, to read the Bible. It helped me believe I could come back. If I didn’t hear the Bible every single day, I’m 100% sure I would not have believed I could come back stronger.”

His return comes at the perfect time. With a brutal fixture list – Wolves, Everton, Brighton, Aston Villa and a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace – packing out the rest of December. Arsenal will likely have to do without at least Gabriel Magalhaes, Kai Havertz and Cristhian Mosquera. Jesus will be needed from the moment he’s ready.

But he is careful not to make this about himself.

“First of all I don’t want to be the guy,” he said. “I always help in a good way. I’m 28 now, not a kid anymore. More than experience, I can bring a difference to the players we have. If everyone is in good shape then everyone can help. That is Arsenal.”

Still, when asked if the best Gabriel Jesus is yet to come, he didn’t hesitate.

“One hundred per cent! The chances I had tonight, I hit the target. Obviously I needed to score, but the way I moved after 11 months… I’m so pleased.”

For 11 months he battled doubt, isolation and fear that his career might be reshaped forever. Now, he insists he has returned a better version of himself; calmer, more patient, and hungry to make up for lost time.

Manager Mikel Arteta could hardly have been happier.

“So happy for him,” he said. “It’s been a very difficult and long journey. To see him back with that smile, with that energy and that quality is impressive. He has a special quality; he connects everybody around him and that will make us better.”

With Viktor Gyokeres offering power and Jesus offering craft, Arteta believes he now has two complementary attacking profiles.

Two strikers, two styles and, after 11 months in the dark, Gabriel Jesus is finally ready to shine again.