Gabriel Jesus says goals are not his "strong point" as the Arsenal forward responded to criticism about his poor scoring record for Brazil.
The forward did not score a goal for the Selecao at the 2018 World Cup despite being his country’s leading number nine, something he was lambasted for.
Jesus made his international debut in 2016 and has scored since 19 goals in his 63 appearances. Only one of those, however, have come since he scored against Peru in the 2019 Copa America final.
Still, the 26-year-old remains an important part of the Brazilian set-up.
He was called up to their squad for the recent international break despite injuring his hamstring during Arsenal’s win over Sevilla last month and started the loss to Argentina in the Maracana on Wednesday, a game dominated by violent scenes before kick-off.
Jesus returned to full training in the build-up to the game after the Brazilian FA insisted they had been cautious with him following the hamstring complaint to have ruled him out of action since October 21.
At club level, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has hailed the “tremendous” impact the £45m signing has had on the team's attack, while teammate and compatriot Gabriel Martinelli described Jesus as one of the best strikers in the world. In total, he has scored 15 goals while registering nine assists in 44 appearances for the club.
Speaking about his scoring record at international level, Jesus told Terra: “There are things that bothered me a lot in the post 2018 World Cup cycle. I was younger, I had a different mind.
“Today I am a more mature man, more educated, a family man. I understand football is a priority for me, and I know I need to be well to do my best, especially in the Brazilian team.
“There are things that I don’t control. I train, I look for, I try, I move, I help the team. The goal is inevitable. I believe it’s not my strong point, but I score goals and I’m there to score goal.
“When I come back, it will happen. It’s work. I work quietly, I’m not one to respond to criticism, I’m not one to be happy for praise. I was, I won’t be anymore.”
