Gabriel Martinelli

Who is Gabriel Martinelli?

Gabriel Martinelli who was born 18 June 2001 is a Brazilian professional footballer playing for Premier League giants Arsenal.

Born and raised in Guarulhos, he began his football career playing for Ituano, prior to making Arsenal move at the age of 18.

At the international level, Martinelli represents Brazil U-23’s side. He helped Brazil win an Olympic Gold in men’s football at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Martinelli was reportedly subject to interest from a number of teams, however, signed a long term deal with Premier League giants, Arsenal on 2 July 2019, for a reported £6m fee. Holding an Italian passport, Martinelli was not subject to the scrutinzed criteria required for English teams to secure the services of South American players. He scored a goal on his non-competitive debut, in a 3–0 pre-season victory against Colorado Rapids on 16 July.

Martinelli has made his debut for Arsenal on 11 August 2019 in a 1–0 victory against Newcastle United.

Martinelli scored two goals in his first competitive start for the team in a 5–0 win over Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup. Brazilian forward has opened and closed the scoring: first with a near-post header, and secondly with a long-range effort. Both were assisted by Calum Chambers. His form received praise from previous Gunners boss, Unai Emery, who said: “He’s hungry to have that opportunity to help us, he is very humble, he fights. I told him to have some patience for his opportunity to do like he was doing. He did that. He deserved it”

Gabriel Martinelli’s international career:

Martinelli holds dual Brazilian-Italian citizenship  On 20 May 2019, he was called up by Brazil national team head-coach Tite to complete preparatory training for the 2019 Copa América. In November 2019, he appeared for Brazil’s U-23 side.

On 2 July 2021, he was named to the Brazil team for the 2020 Summer Olympics. On 3 August, Martinelli has scored the second penalty to help beat Mexico in the Olympic semi-final, before becoming a gold medallist after Brazil lost to Spain in the final four days later