Neymar and Gabriel Jesus have matching tattoos which depict their childhood dreams of making it as professional footballers.
From humble beginnings, the pair have progressed into two of Brazil’s most exciting talents and won a whole lot of silverware at the highest level.
It’s been a similar journey and the duo have acknowledged exactly where they came from with their ink. Neymar was the first to get it done and then Jesus, inspired by the former Barcelona superstar, followed suit.
The two showed off the identical tats side-by-side ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where Brazil went all the way and beat Germany on penalties to clinch Gold on home soil.
Neymar’s is on his left calf, while Jesus got inked up on his forearm. Both tattoos see a young boy in the favelas, with a Brazil cap on and a football under his arm, looking up at the houses and dreaming of greatness.
Jesus, who came through the ranks at Palmeiras before getting his move to Manchester City and Arsenal, was initially just a fan of Neymar before they became teammates and friends.
And he feels as though the tattoo “says everything in one picture” and represents a lot of Brazilians striving to achieve.
“When we won the gold medal, it was an incredible moment for us, and for the country,” Jesus wrote in a piece for The Players’ Tribune in 2017.
“Before the tournament, Neymar got a tattoo, and I was inspired to get a similar one, because it really says everything in one picture.
“It’s a little kid, and he’s standing at the bottom of a hill, looking up at the favelas. He’s just holding a football under his arm and dreaming.
“That’s not just me, and it’s not just Neymar. It’s so many Brazilians. And that’s what winning gold meant to us.”
Jesus, having scored 95 goals and won four Premier League titles in five years with City, is to sign for Arsenal on a five-year deal for a fee of £50 million.
He wears the No. 9 shirt vacated by Alexandre Lacazette and is expected to be the Gunners’ main man up top.
