Arsenal already have a player that Ronaldinho thinks will be the next Lionel Messi and 'best player in the world'

Arsenal have been told that they already have their own Lionel Messi and that Mikel Arteta has the ‘best player in the world’ in his possession. 

However, Arsenal’s upturn in form is partly down to the signings the club have made this summer. Their two marquee signings were Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City.

“At the moment it is Messi. I have always said I think one day it will be Neymar. But at 19, in the future, it can be Gabriel.” 

He added: “He has all the abilities to make that happen. Ronaldo, Kaka, myself and, more recently, Neymar were playing at the highest level at a young age. Gabriel is in that ­category.” 

Still a long way to go for Jesus to reach the heights of Messi but his impressive form is for sure helping Arsenal in their bid for a perhaps unexpected title charge. 

The Newcastle great said on Match of the Day 2: “We’ve seen Arteta improve the likes of [Granit] Xhaka, who showed great desire and determination against Brentford, but Jesus is Arsenal’s real game-changer for me. 

“His move was seen as his opportunity to be the main man after often being on the bench at City and he has certainly taken it so far.

“Jesus is already a huge part of what Arsenal are about now – it’s not just his goals and creativity that make him so important to them, it’s his relentless energy and willingness to run in behind defences too.

“He’s the game-changer for Arsenal. He’s the one who sets the tone from the front. Defenders hate players who are prepared to run in behind, he does that.”