Gabriel Jesus, striker for FC Barcelona, was interviewed on 3Cat's Tot Costa program, where he discussed his adaptation to FC Barcelona, competition for playing time within the squad, his playing style, and various topics including Raphinha, Guardiola, Flick, and the team's Champions League objectives. This article is the first part of the exclusive interview.

How are you? Everything good?

Everything is going really well.

Great to hear. This is a perfect way to start the interview. You've been at FC Barcelona for about two weeks now. How are you feeling? Better than expected? Both the club and the city?

I've played with many players who have played here before, and they told me a lot. They all spoke about the city, the club, and everything here with great admiration. I know some of my current teammates, so I've talked with them beforehand as well.

The club is excellent, and the city is excellent too. However, I haven't had enough time to truly experience it all, because I'm still adapting. My family is still in the process of moving, and we're still looking for a house, viewing apartments, and dealing with those things. Overall, I'm very happy to be here.

Who was most enthusiastic about telling you "don't think about it, just come here"?

I spoke with Diego, and of course I spoke with Raphinha afterward, and I also talked with Cancelo for a while. Later, when the media started reporting that it was highly likely I would transfer, some people sent me messages. For example, Neymar.

He told me: "You'll have a lot of fun there, because the club is excellent, the fans are excellent, the people there are excellent, everything is top."

You seem to have received a lot of good feedback. You joined the squad late in the transfer window, and it's clear that FC Barcelona didn't sign the number 9 striker they originally wanted. When they approached you, I understand Diego was the one who contacted you. What plan did he lay out for you? Did he tell you "we want you to be our number 9 striker" or "we want you to strengthen the team"? How did they pitch it to you?

To be honest, I was training there at that time. I had some options, but because of the price tag Arsenal was asking for, my options were quite limited. At that time, I was just training normally. I'm a person with a lot of faith in God, you know? I put all my effort into God. I always work hard and do what needs to be done, believing that God will change things and give me opportunities.

So I continued training, and then FC Barcelona got in touch. Diego called me. We talked for about 10-15 minutes. The offer they presented was very good. Actually, I understood well that given my current situation, things would be different from my previous career, because I had just come through a severe ACL injury recovery season, which required a long time away due to the injury. Then I came back to play, but after that I didn't play much, though the final stretch was good.

So when we talked, it was mostly about my adaptation first—gradually training, gradually getting into the team's rhythm, adapting to the team's style of play, and then seeing what happens next. Of course, he didn't tell me whether I would be a starter or not.

If I understand correctly, you're saying your transfer fee at Arsenal was quite high, so some of your other options fell through before FC Barcelona appeared, is that right?

It's not that all my other options disappeared, but considering my situation—I had just suffered a serious injury and hadn't played for nearly a year—my recovery went very well afterward. Everything went smoothly, and I came back to play, and played well toward the end. Of course, I believe I'm a player who can help the team a lot. I have my own characteristics and abilities, and I'm 29 years old. I've had a lot of experience in football and played in England for 10 years, winning many trophies.

So in my view, the price the club set for me was based more on "the player himself" than on my situation at that time. In other words, it didn't fully take into account that I had just come through a year-long injury and hadn't been playing consistently since my return.

So the solution was to wait until the final stage of the transfer window to make Arsenal's position more reasonable.

Yes, exactly right.

You've mentioned before that you don't mind being option B or even C after Julián Álvarez. So as a "low-cost alternative" in a sense, do you think this could work to your advantage—for example, by reducing pressure from the fans?

About pressure, I've dealt with pressure throughout my career. In my opinion, the greatest pressure a player can endure is wearing the Brazil national team shirt, especially the number 9 that Ronaldo once wore. For me, that is the greatest pressure.

So pressure will stay with me throughout my life. For me, wearing the FC Barcelona shirt is not pressure, but joy. Being on the pitch and doing what I need to do—that's joy. As you just said, I know my own abilities, but I also know I work very hard. When I get more opportunities to play, I'll do my best.

When Raphinha told you to come here, did he warn you in advance that he would play as number 9 and score 400 goals? (laughs)

No (laughs). Actually, I just talked with him after I found out I was coming here. But Raphinha is in absolutely excellent form right now. He deserves all of this, because he works very hard and has an excellent ability to finish. Sometimes one season is different from another. He also played in the World Cup with Brazil, and Brazil didn't perform well at that time.

So Raphinha is truly standing out this season. I won't repeat what I said the other day (laughs), but he's really very good. He deserves all of this. My purpose in coming here is to help the team. When I get a chance, like the other day when I scored in 10 minutes, that's already excellent (laughs).

That's what I was going to say. It must be difficult to compete with him for playing time now.

The season is still very long, you know? I think Raphinha is in excellent form right now, and I hope he continues to score and help the team, because that's great for us. And it's not just Raphinha—it's also Lamine Yamal, Lewandowski, Gavi, Nico, and me, as well as all the midfielders.

Look at how Spain won the World Cup. They had an excellent team, and everyone participated and played. I think our team is very strong too, and everyone can become important.

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