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Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal during the MLS All-Star Game between Arsenal FC and MLS All-Stars

We’ve seen the future and it’s Gabriel Jesus’ Nike advert beauty

Arsenal kicked off their US pre-season tour in style with a thumping 5-0 win against MLS All-Stars and Gabriel Jesus’ opening goal is worthy of a Nike advert.

Jesus had an impressive debut season at Arsenal, scoring 11 league goals and providing six assists. He also has that Brazilian flair that isn’t quantifiable by stats or underlying metrics.

The 26-year-old is a street footballer turned pro and he turned on the tekkers against MLS All-Stars with an audacious strike after just five minutes.

Mikel Arteta’s side click up through the gears as Bukayo Saka latches onto a through ball before laying the ball back for Jesus. The American fans had come for a show and Jesus was determined to entertain.

From the edge of the box, he manages to chip the helpless Roman Burki who desperately tries to scramble back to his far post. A peach of a finish from Jesus who is looking sharp ahead of the new season.

The goal is made even sweeter when viewed from the referee’s point of view. The United States often lead the way in incorporating new technologies into sport and we can’t get enough of this body cam used in the MLS All-Stars match.

We as football fans want to be as close to the action as possible and the referee body cam manages to add a whole new level of emersion.

It’s like something straight out of a Nike advert from the mid-2000s. Somehow the finish looks even more audacious from this point of view. We could watch this replay all day long.

It surely won’t be too long until the Premier League follow suit and strap up the likes of Andre Marriner and Michael Oliver with body cams of their own.

Arteta himself clearly enjoyed the event as his side ran out as 5-0 winners on the night. Following their triumph he addressed the media after the match.

“It was a great occasion and a great atmosphere. It was great to see so many Arsenal supporters filling the stadium,” Arteta told the club website.

“We had some great moments in the game and some moments, especially in the first-half that weren’t that great, but we’re still very early in pre-season and it was great to see some debuts with Jurrien, Auston and Declan obviously, and I was really pleased in the end with the result.

“We have to start doing the right things in preseason to get the best possible preparation and get that chemistry and cohesion in the team. And then we go step by step. It’s a tremendous league, it’s so competitive. Let’s see how we start and we will go from there.”

If Nike are looking to cast anyone for their next advert then they will now know exactly where to turn. Jesus has an eye for the spectacular and we are only beginning to scratch the surface in regards to new technologies in the game.


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