Like many football stars in Brazil, Gabriel Martinelli comes from a poor background. His family lives in one of the poorest areas of Guarulhos, the 2nd most populous city in the state of Sao Paolo. Martinelli started playing football as a toddler, but he did not receive support from his parents.
They feɑr the competition in the sport is too great and that only a handful of the most talented boys can become football stars. Martinelli’s parents wanted their son to focus on his studies, but their efforts were in vain.
Helpless because of their stubborn son, Martinelli’s parents had to find a way for their son to continue his cultural studies through tutoring at home. It was a luxury for a working poor family who had to run to eat every meal. It wasn’t until much later that Martinelli’s parents allayed their concerns when they learned that their son was indeed talented and could do something with football.
Gabriel Martinelli’s first experiences with football began with Futsal. Like compatriot Philippe Coutinho, Martinelli’s tight ball control and quick feet were born from playing futsal.
At the age of 9, Martinelli was tried by Corinthians’ futsal team and it didn’t take long to get accepted. Martinelli quickly made an impression on the Corinthians Futsal team.
Success at Futsal did not make Martinelli forget his dream of becoming a football superstar. In 2012, he decided to switch to football at the 11th court and quickly proved his talent. After more than 60 goals scored in the youth team of Corinthias, Martinelli was recruited by Brazilian fourth-tier team Ituano FC in 2015.
At Ituano FC, Gabriel Martinelli broke the record of becoming the youngest player to make his professional debut for the club. In March 2018, he made history as the youngest player to ever make his debut for Ituano when he came on as a substitute in a 2-1 win over Sao Bento at the age of 16. Martinelli’s talent helps his name cross the ocean to the big boys of Europe.
Of all the European giants, Manchester United was the team that invited Martinelli to try the first job. During his probationary period, Gabriel Martinelli played with the youth team with a local talent named Mason Greenwood.
But through 4 different trials, MU refused when he thought that the young Brazilian was not qualified to become a future star. Martinelli was of course very disappointed to lose his first big opportunity. The only thing that comforted the Brazilian player was the fɑct that he was photographed with Paul Pogba!
After a failed trial with Man United, Gabriel Martinelli moved to Barcelona. The Camp Nou team allowed Martinelli to practice at the La Masia furnace to monitor before making a decision to sign a contract. But then no contract was offered.
Failing to find opportunities in Europe, Gabriel Martinelli decided to return to Brazil, continuing to play for Ituano FC. Martinelli’s excellence once again helped him get the attention of big teams.
This time, things were very different thanks to the position that the young Brazilian player had. Compared to competitors, Arsenal is the team that shows the most seriousness. At the time of 2019, Arsenal had important changes in leadership.
Together, Edu and Cagigao were key figures in arranging a deal that brought Martinelli to the north London side. If Edu Gaspar knows Brazilian football very well, then Cagigao is a real connoisseur of spotting new talent.
Cagigao has a dense network of collaborators in Brazil and has been following Martinelli for a long time. In the end, Martinelli’s contract was closed and the Brazilian arrived at Emirates in July 2019 for a fee of £ 6 million, very cheap compared to the potential that Cagigao assessed for the Brazilian player.
Now that investment is paying off at the same rate as Martinelli’s runs on the field. Man Utd’s youth team coaches do not understand whether they regret the old decision or not, especially when the “Red Devils” had to spend up to 100 million euros to bring Martinelli’s compatriot Antony back to Old Trafford but his performance. The former Ajax player has not been as expected.
Meanwhile, with what Martinelli is showing, Arsenal is not only in the squad a star of the present but can also reach out to become a symbol in the future of the team.
