Barcelona’s Camp Nou gave Gabriel Jesus a first official start in the colours of the Catalan club on Saturday, and the Brazilian marked it with a goal as Barça beat Getafe 3-0 in LaLiga.
Jesus has now scored three times across his opening five Barcelona appearances this season. He reached that mark in just 123 minutes, a strike rate of one goal every 41 minutes.
Quick facts
- Barcelona defeated Getafe 3-0 at Camp Nou.
- Gabriel Jesus scored in his first competitive start for Barça.
- The Brazilian has three goals in five matches and 123 minutes.
- He has converted each of his three shots on target this season.
- Barcelona next visit Galatasaray in the Champions League before facing Betis in LaLiga.
The 2026 start is the quickest of Jesus’s three-goal openings at his major European clubs. He also scored three in his first five Manchester City games in 2016, but needed an average of 97.6 minutes per goal; at Arsenal in 2022, the equivalent figure was 145.3 minutes.
“Being at Barcelona is a dream, as I have said several times,” Jesus said after the match. “It is very easy to play with these players because they are all good. For a striker who needs chances to score, that helps enormously. I am ready to take those chances.”
His early output in Barcelona is different in one respect from those first spells in England. Jesus supplied two assists in his first five City outings and three during his first five Arsenal matches, while he is yet to create a goal for Barça.
He was selected to replace Raphinha, who was rested by the coaching staff. The Barcelona captain has scored 14 goals this season, and Jesus said the squad is waiting for the Brazilian winger’s return.
“Hansi Flick gives every player a great deal of confidence,” Jesus said. “He told us we have been playing very well and that opportunities would come. When we are called upon, we have to score. We hope Raphinha recovers quickly, because the team feels his absence.”
Jesus, who previously played for high-scoring City and Arsenal sides, sees Barcelona as another club equipped to keep finding the net. “I have been at big teams that scored many goals, and now I am at another one,” he said. “We must keep scoring, winning matches through to the end of the season and competing for trophies.”
Barcelona travel to Istanbul on Tuesday for their second Champions League league-phase match against Galatasaray. They then return to domestic duty next Saturday, when Betis await at La Cartuja.
