If things had gone differently in 2022, Igor Jesus might be wearing Arema FC’s blue today instead of dazzling the world with Botafogo at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
In a tournament packed with global icons—Vinícius Júnior, Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane—few predicted that the breakout star would be a 24-year-old Brazilian better known in Curitiba and Dubai than on European highlight reels.
But Igor seized the stage from the start. He opened his Club World Cup account with a clinical strike just before half-time in Botafogo’s 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders on June 16, then followed it up four days later with a composed finish to sink UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain at the Rose Bowl. Fast, skillful, and lethal in front of goal, he has since emerged as a top target for Nottingham Forest as they prepare for their first European campaign since 1996.
Yet, rewind to late 2022. Arema FC, grappling with a goal drought and the underwhelming form of striker Abel Camara, had been tracking Igor, then banging in goals for Shabab Al-Ahli in the UAE Pro League. A mid-season swoop was discussed. But then came the Kanjuruhan tragedy—a national catastrophe that sent shockwaves through Indonesian football. Investor Gilang Widya Pramana withdrew, financial plans were shelved, and Arema had to abandon their foreign recruitment strategy. Camara stayed; Igor did not come.
He kept scoring in Dubai, then secured a high-profile return to Brazil with Botafogo in early 2024.
Arema would later find redemption with Gustavo Almeida, another Brazilian striker who lit up Liga 1 in the 2023/24 season. But for many fans, it’s hard not to wonder what might have been. Igor’s now-iconic “Kamehameha” celebration—an homage to his love for Dragon Ball Z—has become a viral highlight of the Club World Cup. His next destination? Likely the Premier League, not Kanjuruhan.
For Arema’s faithful, it’s a reminder of football’s fine margins: one collapsed deal, one heartbreaking night, and the striker who might’ve saved their season is now stealing headlines in front of tens of thousands. As Igor Jesus prepares for the next chapter in Europe, Malang fans are left with a familiar ache—what if?