Jesus ready to compete with Raphinha for starting role at Barcelona

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Gabriel Jesus insisted he wants a more prominent role at Barcelona and is ready to compete with Raphinha for a starting spot in the line-up.

The 29-year-old joined Barca from Arsenal this summer after four seasons with the Gunners, helping them end their wait for a Premier League title last season.

However, Jesus was seen as a surplus to requirements for Mikel Arteta, leading to his €10m (£8.6m) move to Camp Nou.

The Brazilian forward scored on his Champions League debut for Barca, but was an unused substitute against Levante on the weekend; Raphinha provided two assists in the 4-2 win.

Raphinha has directly contributed to nine goals (six goals, three assists) in five LaLiga games this season, and Jesus knows replacing his compatriot is no easy task.

“Rapha is scoring goals. He plays every game, he deserves it,” Jesus told Tot Costa.

“I’m going to try to compete and wait for my opportunity to play more and get more minutes.

“I want to score goals and help, and I don’t want to do it when it’s 2 or 3 or 4-0, I want to score important goals.”

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 13, 2026

After joining from Manchester City in 2022, Jesus scored 32 goals and provided 18 assists in 123 appearances for Arsenal.

Raphinha, who joined Barca in 2022, has scored 75 goals and registered 52 assists across the last four seasons with the Blaugrana.

Hansi Flick’s side face Racing Santander next on Wednesday as they look to maintain their perfect start to the season, before travelling to Sevilla in their final game ahead of the international break.

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