Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has finally returned to play after almost a year of absence from a severe ACL injury. Jesus played for 30 minutes when Arsenal beat Club Brugge 3-0 in the Champions League match, Thursday, December 11, 2025 in the morning WIB. Jesus' return allowed manager Mikel Arteta to prepare a deadly duet for Arsenal's front line.
The match against Brugge warmed Jesus after being sidelined for 11 months. He suffered ligamentary damage to his severe knee against Manchester United in January 2025. The injury resulted in the Brazilian striker having to undergo surgery so it took longer to recover.
When injured, Arsenal refused to find a replacement and only relied on Kai Havertz. With limited stock up front, Arsenal finally lost to Liverpool in the race for the English Premier League title.
After resting for a long time, Jesus returned to play. When facing Brugge, Arteta also prepared Jesus. Even though he didn't play as a starter, Jesus might appear as a substitute.
The former Manchester City striker then returned to play for the last 30 minutes in the match at Jan Breydel Stadium. At that time, Arsenal had a 3-0 lead. After the match, the 28-year-old player did not stop smiling. In the interview, Jesus thanked God after a long recovery.
"First of all, I thank God," said Jesus. "If it weren't for God, I wouldn't be here 100 percent with a better and more confident mental condition," he said.
During the first three months, I was filled with a lot of doubts. And then I could focus more on what God wanted from me. Now everyone is hoping I score goals. I also want to score goals," he said again.
Even though he failed to score in the first match after recovering from injury, Jesus remained happy. The reason is that he was finally able to return to play after being absent for almost a year.
"I actually had a chance. Even though I failed, I was happy because I ended up playing again. I could do some touch and how I moved and controlled the ball," he said.
"For 11 months I tried to recover myself and sometimes felt anxious for different reasons. I feel satisfied and ready," he said again.
With Jesus back, Arsenal will have a deadly duet upfront. Because Arteta has prepared a scheme for two strikers, Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres. Not only that, Arsenal's front line will be even sharper if Havertz also recovers.
"Both of them are different. But they have the best quality so they can play together," said Arteta.
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