Drogba 2.0, frogs and Dragon Ball Z - who is Forest 'target' Igor Jesus?

BBC News

23-06-2025

A darting run between two centre-backs, a timely nutmeg to make some room and then a cool deflected finish into the bottom corner.Igor Jesus stands on the advertising boards with his arms outstretched in front of the Botafogo fans. Friday's winner against European champions Paris St-Germain was a moment to remember.Four days earlier he was also on target for the Brazilian Serie A champions against Seattle Sounders.Striker Jesus, 24, has been named player of the match in both games at the Club World Cup.He is arguably the breakout player in the tournament so far and will get another chance to impress against Atletico Madrid. He is nicknamed Little Frog, is a huge fan of the Anime series Dragon Ball Z and has been heavily linked with a move to Premier League side Nottingham Forest.
Who is Igor Jesus?
Jesus got his nickname 'Sapinho', meaning Little Frog, from his grandfather when he was a child. Depending on who you ask,, external it's either because he made acrobatic saves as a goalkeeper, or because he had a very small body and a very big head.He would also occasionally skip school to watch Japanese cartoon Dragon Ball Z.In the show, protagonist Goku defeats baddies with a special move called Kamehameha which Jesus honours with his usual celebration of putting his wrists together, opening his palms and locking his arms out perpendicularly in front of him. He's had a lot of chances to perfect it. In 206 professional appearances he's netted 70 goals.Jesus started his career at Coritiba, a then Serie-B side based in Brazil's eighth largest city.As an 18-year-old he scored three goals in 24 appearances to help Coritiba secure promotion.But, after initially struggling at a higher level, he left midway through the following campaign to join Emirati side Shabab Al-Ahli.He spent four seasons in the Middle East, scoring 46 goals in 92 games, before returning to Brazil by joining Botafogo in July 2024.There he's excelled. He led the line as his side lifted the Serie A and Copa Libertadores titles last season.Unsurprisingly, the scouting departments at numerous club around the world are on high alert.Jesus even made his Brazil debut last October, scoring in a 2-1 World Cup qualifying win in difficult conditions in Chile.South American football expert Tim Vickery called him, external "the modern-day Drogba" after his goal against PSG, a side who had thrashed Inter Milan in the Champions League final just 20 days before.
What could Jesus offer Nottingham Forest?
Jesus has been heavily linked with Nottingham Forest for a while now.His Botafogo team-mates, defenders Jair Cunha and Cuiabano, are also reportedly attracting interest from the Premier League club.Against PSG, Botafogo had just 25.3% possession, and relied on Jesus' hold-up play and ability to create chances out of seemingly nowhere.According to Opta,, external Jesus had the third-most touches of any Botafogo player (49) - remarkable for a centre-forward when his team had so little of the ball.He also contested a team-high 16 duels and won five aerial battles.When they took on Seattle, Botafogo often went long. Despite being 5ft 10in (1.78m) Jesus won six of his seven aerial duals in that game, while his winner was a header.His game suits Forest's style of play, where he would also offer a bit more mobility than current talisman Chris Wood. After nutmegging Willian Pacho and beating Gianluigi Donnarumma on the world stage, Jesus might be preparing for a jump to the next level.Or, given his nickname of 'Little Frog', it might be more of a hop.