Gabriel Jesus: ‘I Wanted to Shoot Myself in the Head’
Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus has admitted that he sometimes puts himself under too much pressure to score goals, particularly when going through a difficult spell in front of goal.
The Brazilian returned to form in impressive fashion by scoring a hat-trick in Manchester City’s 4-1 Champions League victory over Dinamo Zagreb, taking his tally to five goals in three matches.
His resurgence followed a difficult period in which he went eight appearances without scoring. Jesus admitted that the drought affected him mentally as he became increasingly frustrated with missed opportunities.
“Honestly, last month I was no good and I wasn’t happy,” Jesus said. “I played eight or nine games and I didn’t score and I missed chances, so I’m not happy with that.”
The 22-year-old explained that playing for a major club increased the pressure he placed on himself to deliver consistently.
“Always I think, ‘Wow, I have to score,’ because I’m playing for a big club in big competitions with big players,” he said.
Jesus used particularly strong language to describe his frustration, saying that when he was unhappy with his performances he felt like he wanted to “shoot myself in the head.”
He explained that constantly thinking about scoring sometimes made matters worse, causing him to overthink opportunities in front of goal.
“I think, ‘Oh my God, I have to score, I have to score, I have to score.’ When I have the chance, sometimes I miss it because I think too much and put too
