While traditional thinking would dictate that Jesus was seeking increased playing time due to City's successful summer pursuit of Erling Haaland, the Brazilian actually pointed to a specific incident that led to him looking for a new team.

Jesus went on the Denilson Show, a podcast hosted by his countryman, and said his exclusion from City's starting XI for a UEFA Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain was what got the ball rolling on his departure from the Pep Guardiola-led side.

"Two hours before the game, he told us the team," Jesus said of Guardiola.

"I didn't even want to eat. I went straight to the room, crying. I called my mother to talk: 'I want to leave'."

City faced PSG twice in the 2021-22 Champions League group stage, with Jesus left out of the starting lineup on both occasions. However, the forward was a second-half substitute in the Nov. 24, 2021 meeting, and he scored the 76th-minute game-winner in a 2-1 victory for the Sky Blues.

Jesus, 26, scored 11 league goals for Arsenal last season to help the London side qualify for the Champions League after a six-year absence from the continental tournament.