Rio de Janeiro, Jan 3 (IANS): Manchester City-bound striker Gabriel Jesus described his time at Brazilian football club Palmeiras as a "film with a happy ending" as he departed the country for his new home.

"It's hard to say goodbye to something that was so good to me," the 19-year-old wrote in a letter to fans on Instagram on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

"It had its difficulties and there were times when I wanted to give up but I believed in my dream and it came true.

"I confess that it's difficult to contain my emotion as I write this letter. A film is going through my head. A film with a happy ending."

Manchester City agreed to pay 27 million pounds (around $33 milion) for Jesus in August, beating off interest from FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

The teenager scored 21 goals in 48 games for Palmeiras in 2016 as the Sao Paulo club secured their first Brazilian Serie A title since 1994.

Jesus has also netted five times in six matches for the Selecao and was part of the Brazil team that won the gold medal at the Rio Olympics in August.