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Igor Jesus ready to shine on the global stage at FIFA Club World Cup
Conjecture surrounds the future of Botafogo’s highly-regarded star striker Igor Jesus heading into the FIFA Club World Cup, with every game live on DAZN.
The Brazilian has attracted plenty of admiring glances during the past 12 months and been linked with several European clubs, although Nottingham Forest look to have won the race for his signature.
Aston Villa, Arsenal, Fulham and West Ham United were also touted as potential destinations for the talented 24-year-old forward.
The pacey forward was linked to clubs in Italy’s Serie A too, but Forest is being widely touted as his next club after the Club World Cup.
Speculation is growing that striker Jesus and Botafogo team-mates – centre-back Jair Cunha and left-back Cuiabano – will join the City Ground outfit for a combined fee in excess of £30million.
All three have been included in Botafogo's squad for the Club World Cup and certainly the tournament represents a golden opportunity for Jesus to prove his pedigree on the global stage.
Botafogo will be one of CONMEBOL’s six representatives at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 after becoming the 31st and penultimate team to secure their place at the tournament by winning the 2024 edition of the Copa Libertadores.
Botafogo will face opponents from France, Spain and the USA having been drawn in Group B alongside ranking pathway qualifiers Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético de Madrid, and 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup winners Seattle Sounders FC.
Jesus, meanwhile, has impressed greatly for Botafogo since arriving from Shabab Al-Ahli in July 2024.
Last October, he received his first call up to the Brazil national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against Chile and Peru.
Jesus came through the youth ranks at Coritiba and made his debut as a substitute on 23 January 2019, in the Campeonato Paranaense game against Maringá.
He scored his first senior goal on his first start for the team, in the same competition in January 2019 against Athletico Paranaense.
He soon signed a new contract, keeping him with Coritiba until the end of 2022 before a switch to United Arab Emirates outfit Shabab Al-Ahli at the age of 19.
Despite his tender years, Jesus hit the ground running in the Middle East, registering 50 goal contributions in 66 matches in the UAE Pro League.
He stayed at Shabab Al-Ahli until the July 2024, ending his time at the club with 43 goals and 20 assists in 88 matches before returning to his native Brazil with Botafogo last summer.
Having proven his class once again this season – and been linked with all and sundry – now Jesus has the chance to perform on the world stage at the FIFA Club World Cup before seemingly heading for the Premier League.
Watch all 63 matches of the 2025 Club World Cup live on DAZN. More information and to sign up for a free account here.
