Our young Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli, who has only been at Arsenal for one full year now, has taken giant strides after moving up from the Brazilian Youth Leagues in spectacular style.
He has also been complimented and praised by some of the finest players ever to come from his country, and the genius Ronaldinho even compared the 18 year-old with the Real Ronaldo a few months ago.
Martinelli admitted he was shocked on hearing that he had been likened to one of the greatest ever footballers of all time, and told Arsenal’s YouTube channel: ‘Wow, when I heard that I couldn’t believe it. It’s crazy because I was in Brazil until recently, playing in the Copa Sao Paulo, which is a prestigious youth-level competition, but it’s nothing like the Premier League.
“To get here and play in the Premier League for Arsenal, one of the best clubs in the world, and for one of the best Brazilian players of all time to speak to highly of me and compare me with one of the best forwards in football history is something that seems hard to believe.
‘You think ‘could he really be talking about me? Is it me? To be honest it still hasn’t sunk in. That’s the case for many things because they’ve happened so quickly in my life.
‘As I said I always have to keep my feet on the ground. I’m grateful for those who praise me and I always try to give my best to keep earning that praise but above all it’s about working hard and going for wins and success here at Arsenal.’
I honestly do believe that Gabriel could aim for the stars if he carries on progressing the way he has so far. I was also so happy that he was given a new extended contract and a massive pay rise, but now he has to ignore all the accolades until he has actually proven himself over a full season at least. I wonder if he could match Ronaldo’s feat of scoring 30 goals in his first professional season? I damn well hope so!
Sam P