Spanish media compare Gabriel Jesus to Ballon d'Or winner as Barca star continues scoring streak

Former Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus earned heavy praise for his latest Barcelona display - as well as a backhanded compliment that illustrated his value to the squad

Gabriel Jesus was back in flying form for Barcelona as they returned from the international break in full flow. Los Cules blew Getafe off the park in a 3-0 rout on Saturday, where the Brazilian joined Anthony Gordon on the score sheet.

The ex-Arsenal frontman nabbed Barca's second at the Spotify Camp Nou after Gordon opened the scoring just 71 seconds in. Jesus, 29, now has three goals in five outings for the Catalans and looks well worth the £8.6million it cost to take him to Spain.

That meagre fee in part backs up Mundo Deportivo's assertion that Jesus and Gordon joined despite not being "dazzling stars." While that may be interpreted as a dig at the duo, it was intended to flatter Barca's astute business of signing "imaginative solutions" following the departures of Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford.

The Catalan newspaper reinforced its praise by lauding Jesus' input as a replacement for the injured Raphinha. Mundo Deportivo highlighted the deserved ovation Jesus received when he was subbed shortly before full time, even comparing him to a past Ballon d'Or winner.

"He often played with his back to goal, acting as a distributor for the midfield," read one report. "The first chance he had facing the goal, he put it away: a goal with Romario-esque timing."

Romario spent just two seasons in Barcelona but was prolific, recording 39 goals and 17 assists in 65 outings for the club. Hristo Stoichkov officially won 1994 Ballon d'Or when the prize was only given to European players at the time, though Romario was the recipient of a revised edition after France Football retrospectively included non-European for every edition prior to 1995, when the rules were officially changed.

AS also heaped admiration on Jesus for his performance and not just for taking his chance in front of goal. Having missed out on a Brazil call-up, he was lauded for the work put in during the international break and showcasing his value in other parts of the pitch.

"And the Brazilian, who had spent the 20-day break in Barcelona working hard, seized his opportunity," it said. "Not only with the goal he scored to make it 2-0 after half an hour of play, but also with his defensive work rate in pressing the Getafe defenders."

Another Madrid-based newspaper, Marca, awarded the former Gunner with an 8.5 rating out of 10, particularly for his first-half display. It also praised his work in recovering possession from Getafe, describing the game as "his day."

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Another passage read: "The Brazilian continues to make the most of his playing time, and Raphinha's absence wasn't felt in either attack or defense against Getafe."

That's no small plaudit considering the season Barca captain Raphinha has been enjoying thus far. Arsenal's loss is very much looking like Hansi Flick's gain already, with Kai Havertz the only Gunners frontman who can match Jesus' goal tally this season.