Gabriel Jesus can look back and laugh. He can grin impishly at the absurdity of being accosted in a car park, when he thought his legs were ripe for snapping in two.
He was 13 then, playing in a men’s league in Sao Paulo. He embarrassed a fair few with the dazzling tricks we are now enjoying in the Premier League.
‘The pitches are all dirt, and you’re playing against the marmanjo — the “hard men”,’ Jesus wrote in The Players’ Tribune.
‘It’s known for being extremely physical.