Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus spoke about himself for The Players Tribune. The Brazilian told about the superheroes of his childhood, his dreams and instructed the young lovers of the game number 1.

Whenever I score for Manchester City, my mom calls me. As soon as the ball hits the net, the bell immediately rings. It does not matter if she's at home in Brazil or looks at me at the stadium. She calls me every time.. So I run to the corner flag, put my hand to my ear and say: "Hello, Mom!".

I was lucky that I knew a couple of superheroes.

When I arrived in the City, people thought it was really funny, and they kept asking me what it meant. There is a quick response, which is that I love my mother, and she always calls me. And there is a longer answer that begins when I was still a boy who had a dream. In Brazil, millions of these boys. But I was lucky, because I knew a couple of superheroes.

I grew up in the neighborhood called Peri Jardim in the northern part of Sao Paulo, and for some people life there is a real struggle. I was lucky, my mom worked very hard, and our family always had food. But many children with whom I grew up lived much harder. Sometimes, they only had one full meal a day, and that was the food they got on the football field. Honestly, many of them did not even play. They just came to talk and eat a sandwich with ham and soda.

For me, all my dreams, all that I have now, begins with the club Pekeninos. This means "small". And it's actually much more than a football club. Do not think about beaches and palm trees and all this. It's not Peri. Our field was right behind the military prison. The cover was just dirt, there was no grass, and it was surrounded by large pines. The only ones who played there, except children, were policemen from prison.

When I was nine years old, I went there with my friend Fabigno to see if we could play for the team. We walked through the woods with boots in hands. And then we met a guy who changed our life - Jose Francisco Mamede. He was the coach of the youngest team, and he said: "Of course, you can play in the next match".

There were no papers for the signature, nothing. Because this club did not turn children into profits - it showed them something positive. Gave them something to eat. Peceninos is a small club, so you probably never heard of it, but I must tell you that they are doing wonders.

In Brazil, there is a name for people like Mamede: Herois sem capes. "Heroes without masks". And that's really what he was for so many children. Mamede and other coaches. they gave us a chance in life. For me, football was everything. Love of the ball was all. Pekeninos played games only twice a week, so if they were not, I played on the streets of Peri. Sometimes, I stayed there with friends until midnight, and after that we talked about the girls and had fun until two in the morning.

Some children had video games. And I had a ball and my imagination.

There were not so many things at home. My father left the family right after my birth, so my mother worked every day to feed me and my brothers. She was a cleaner in the city, and when Mom came home at the end of the day, she had to sleep with me and one of my brothers in the same bed. Some children had video games. And I had a ball and my imagination. And it was really great, because I had a real childhood. We had such big football tournaments where every street had a team, and the trophy was a soda can. It was a war for this soda - soda meant more to us than Copa Libertadores. Trophy soda, it is ten times better than champagne. Ten times better!.

When I was 13 years old, our Pekingenos team came to a big tournament in Sao Paulo. There were games in the early rounds, where we beat big clubs in 12 or 13 goals. But in the final we had to play against Portughes de Desportos, who was a real professional club. The only reason they entered the tournament was that they could look for children from small teams. And, you know, it was like a movie. We, the tiny club that plays next to the prison, and this big one, with real sets and everything else. But me and my friends did not care: "We will win. We deserve this.

That night, the rain was coming so hard that we woke up the next morning, and there was talk about canceling the match. By the time we started, the whole field was in the mud. It was crazy. We started running and falling around the whole field. None of our guys could stand on their feet. The opponents' players were fine. They had real metal spikes. The ones you can embed when it rains. Our boots were cheap, with small plastic studs. We gave all our strength to win, but lost 2-4. Damn, this is life.

At the age of 13 I started playing with older men in Varga. Everyone in Sao Paulo knows what I'm talking about right now (and they probably just started laughing). But for everyone else I will explain. Varge is similar to street basketball in America, or as semi-professional football leagues in Europe. There were a lot of unpleasant things on the field. I will never forget a minute. We played a very important match. They always had one of the best teams in Varga, but they were outside the league for several years for reasons I do not want to go into.

It was their first year in the league, and they played to qualify for a big tournament. I remember how all their players looked at me before the match: "Who is this little child? Is it serious?".

They looked as if they were actually going to kill me. But. What can I do? When I have a ball, I'm in another world.

It was serious.. After four minutes of the match, I walked around their best defender and scored a goal, and I remember how they all looked at me. "We're going to turn your life into hell. "So they started beating me every time I touched the ball. They were pretty crazy. One midfielder from their team was known to be a bully, and he went on to say: "I'm going to break your legs if you try to score again". So, I got the ball. and again he walked around. After that, they looked as if they were actually going to kill me. But. What can I do? When I have a ball, I'm in another world.

The game ended with a score of 2: 2, and we won on penalties. They were so angry. At whistle the hooligan turned to me and said: "I promised that I would break your legs, baby. I'll see you in the parking lot. "He was serious. I remember thinking, "Wow.. I, probably, I will not leave from here ". Fortunately, my teammates defended me. All of them gathered around and easily brought me to the parking lot, and I left it safe and sound. But this is not even the end of the story. Last Christmas I went home to see my family, and I had to go to the bank to issue some documents. So I parked my car in the parking lot, and the guy who worked there looked very familiar. He looked me over, as if he knew me. He gives me my ticket and says: "Hey, baby, remember me?" Vargier, brother, I was going to break your legs! Now you're playing for my favorite team, man! I love you, brother! I can not believe it! ". We laughed and took a picture for memory.

We have an expression in Brazil, and this is the only way to describe what happened to me. My life has turned from water into wine. Five years ago I played in the Varga, just trying to survive. I played with a lot of great players who now drive buses, work in a supermarket or are engaged in construction. And it's not that they were not talented, or they did not work. Much depends on luck and opportunities. Some people have to make a living. They can not continue to dream.. If I did not have the support of my mother, I would probably now have done the same thing.

When I received a call from the Olympic team, it was an incredible feeling. So you understand this moment for me. just two years before I painted the borders in yellow and green before the World Cup 2014. Guys from the neighborhood who could draw well, sketched large murals on the walls - with faces of Brazilian players such as David Luis and Neimar. And two years later I played at the Olympics with Neimar. I remember the first time I saw the yellow national team shirt. It was a feeling of conquering a dream.

Neimar treated everyone as a brother. It was a huge reason that we were able to get together, ignore the pressure and play for each other.

This tournament in 2016 was so special for the Brazilians, because the Olympic gold was the only trophy Brazil never won before. After not the most successful two first games there was a lot of criticism, especially got to Neimaru. I really admire him very much because of how he coped with everything and how he guided our team. You know, before this tournament I was just a fan of Neimar, like everyone else. He is an incredible football player, whom everyone knows. But having learned it for this time. he was so special because he was a Man. The way he treated everyone, I was very surprised. Neimar treated everyone as a brother. It was a huge reason that we were able to get together, ignore the pressure and play for each other.

When we won the gold medal, it was an incredible moment for us and for the country. Before the tournament, Neimar made a tattoo, and I wanted to do the same. She was depicted a small child, and he stands at the foot of the hill, looking at the favelas. He just keeps the ball and dreams.

Before I left for Manchester City, I needed to do the last thing. I had to close the chapter in my life. So I went back to the field where Peceninos plays, with 250 pairs of really good booties for children. Now that one of the big clubs is playing with Pekeninos in a wet field, they need to be more careful.

When I pick up the phone, it's in honor of my mother and our fight, and also in honor of my friends, family, coach Mamede and everyone in Brazil who helped me get here.. I always dream, but even in my best dreams, I did not think that I would be who I am today. I know that so many children who this summer will paint the streets before the World Cup. Maybe they do not play for a big club. I want to tell them not to stop fighting. Four years before I got out of the tunnel at Etihad, I was still playing in Varga - and the guys were saying that they were going to break my legs in the parking lot.

Water can turn into wine! So, to all these children. If you have reached the end of my story, I have the final words for you. Never stop dreaming. Oh, and do one more thing for me, okay? Call your mom. She misses you..

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