Neymar Jr sends message to Brazil teammate Jesus after Barcelona move

Brazil legend Neymar Jr has wished his compatriot Gabriel Jesus luck after the latter joined Barcelona from Arsenal this summer, after spending four years with the Gunners.

Barca signed Brazilian forward Jesus on Tuesday on a deal until 2029, after they were unable to pry Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid.

Jesus arrived at Emirates after winning four titles with Manchester City, scoring 58 goals in 159 games for them in the competition. However, he failed to replicate his City stats in North London, scoring 32 times in 132 matches across competitions.

“Barcelona and Arsenal have reached a deal for the Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus,” said the Catalan club in a statement, with Spanish media reporting that they paid the Gunners around 10 million euros ($11.5m).

Jesus arrives to bolster an attack weakened by the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres earlier this summer.

Spanish champions Barca pursued Alvarez through the summer, but Atletico refused to negotiate with the Catalan giants.

The 29-year-old Brazilian suffered a serious knee injury in January 2025, disrupting his career with Arsenal, where he was behind Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres in Mikel Arteta’s pecking order.

Following Jesus' move to Camp Nou, Neymar wrote on Instagram Story (as translated from Portuguese).

“Good luck, kid.”

Neymar himself has also represented the Spanish club; he arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2013, moving from his boyhood club Santos. He spent four seasons at Camp Nou, scoring 105 goals and 76 assists there.

Barca are at the top of the LaLiga table after three games, ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference.