Sultan Al Ali (Dubai)
Igor Jesus, the young Brazilian player who shone with Shabab Al-Ahly, achieved a major achievement by scoring his first international goal with the Samba national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Igor’s goal came in the match between Brazil and Chile, in the ninth round, where he was able to equalize the score, after falling behind to an early goal from Chile.
The goal that Igor scored in the last minute of the first half was a strong start to his international career, and came to announce a new beginning in the career of one of the “Knights” talents at the global level.
Igor’s career in Brazil began with Curtiba, but the turning point in his career was complete, when he moved to Shabab Al-Ahly in 2020, to be registered in the category of resident players.
With Shabab Al-Ahly, Igor shined brilliantly, contributing to 63 goals in 87 matches, scoring 43 goals and assisting 20 goals.
These contributions led the player to win four titles with Shabab Al-Ahly, including the ADNOC Professional League and the Super Cup.
But injuries were the biggest obstacle in his career with the Knights, as Igor suffered several injuries, the most difficult of which was the cruciate ligament, which was important in 2021, in addition to two consecutive injuries in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons, which affected his continuity and presence. However, Igor was able to return strongly. In the final months of his contract with Shabab Al-Ahly, he recorded outstanding numbers, which attracted the attention of Brazilian Botafogo, who signed him in the “summer of 2024.”
The move to Botafogo is considered a decisive step in Igor’s career, as the player regained his brilliance and became an essential part of the team’s lineup.
This season, Jesus scored 7 goals and made one goal in 19 matches, which contributed to Botafogo topping the Brazilian league table, in addition to qualifying for the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores.
Igor’s market value reached 6 million euros, the highest level a player has reached so far, to be selected for the first time in the Brazilian national team.
Igor’s participation with the Brazilian national team came at an ideal time, as the Samba national team needed to adjust its course in the qualifiers, after a disappointing start.
In the match against Chile, the hosts took the lead with an early goal through Eduardo Vargas in the second minute, but Igor was on time, scoring the equalizer for Brazil in the first minute of first-half stoppage time, and then Luiz Henrique decided the match by scoring the winning goal in the 89th minute.
Igor is living a dream that he could not have imagined a reality, less than 6 months ago, but now he has become a striker for one of the world’s biggest teams.
The transformation in a player’s career is a lesson to all young players, that opportunity may come at any moment, and you must always be ready to seize it.
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