Gabriel Martinelli: Arsenal and Brazil Player Profile
Gabriel Martinelli is a Brazilian forward who plays for Arsenal and scored Brazil’s stoppage-time winner against Japan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Born in Guarulhos on 18 June 2001, he developed through futsal and Ituano, joined Arsenal at 18, won the 2025/26 Premier League and reached the 2026 Champions League final.
This profile uses dated records from Arsenal, FIFA, UEFA, Ituano and the Brazilian Football Confederation. It covers his career, tactical role and international record without financial estimates, transfer rumours or projected statistics.
Gabriel Martinelli profile
- Full name: Gabriel Teodoro Martinelli Silva
- Date of birth: 18 June 2001
- Place of birth: Guarulhos, São Paulo, Brazil
- Height: 1.78 metres in FIFA’s final 2026 squad document
- Primary position: Left winger
- Other position: Centre-forward
- Current club: Arsenal
- Arsenal number: 11
- International team: Brazil
- Brazil number at World Cup 2026: 22
FIFA’s final tournament squad document dated 19 July 2026 lists Martinelli with Arsenal, 27 senior Brazil appearances and five goals. FIFA’s World Cup feature records 53 Arsenal appearances and 25 starts during the 2025/26 season.
Who is Gabriel Martinelli?
Martinelli is a direct attacker who can start on the left or move into the centre. He presses defenders, attacks space behind the right-back and reaches scoring positions through runs without the ball. His pace creates danger, but his value also includes the defensive work Arsenal demands from its wingers.
He joined Arsenal from Ituano in 2019 and grew from a teenage prospect into a senior Brazil international. Injuries interrupted parts of that progress, yet he returned to play in the 2022 and 2026 World Cups.
Early life in Guarulhos
Starting in futsal
Martinelli began in Corinthians’ youth futsal programme. FIFA’s 2026 feature traces his development to the small-sided game, where tight spaces demanded quick control, balance and decisions. Futsal also gave him repeated one-on-one situations.
Playing indoors helped shape the close touches he uses near the penalty area. The larger outdoor pitch then added longer sprints and more space behind defenders.
Move to Ituano
He left Corinthians and joined Ituano’s academy. The move gave him a clearer path toward senior football. Ituano competes in São Paulo state football, where young players face experienced professionals and clubs with larger budgets.
Martinelli made his professional debut as a teenager. His speed and willingness to press stood out before he had a long senior record.
Breakthrough at Ituano
Youngest club player of the century
FIFA’s Brazil squad profile notes that Martinelli became Ituano’s youngest first-team player in the current century. He was 16 years and nine months old when the club introduced him to senior competition.
The debut did not guarantee a transfer. He still needed to show that his physical and technical qualities could survive repeated matches against adults.
2019 Campeonato Paulista
Martinelli’s 2019 state championship established his reputation. He scored, created chances and attacked defenders with confidence. The competition placed him against leading São Paulo clubs and gave scouts a stronger sample than youth football.
He received the Campeonato Paulista award for the season’s breakthrough player. Arsenal then completed his signing during the European summer.
Joining Arsenal in 2019
Move to England
Arsenal signed Martinelli in July 2019. He arrived at 18 without experience in a major European league. The club initially treated him as a young first-team player rather than sending him on loan.
His early opportunities came across the Premier League and cup competitions. He responded with goals and pressing that quickly earned more minutes.
Immediate scoring impact
Martinelli scored twice on his first competitive Arsenal start against Nottingham Forest in the League Cup. Europa League goals followed. His movement gave Arsenal an option who could begin wide and finish inside the six-yard box.
He finished his first season with 10 goals in 26 appearances. The total showed production across several competitions before a serious knee injury stopped his campaign.
Early Arsenal highlights
Run and goal at Chelsea
Martinelli scored a memorable solo goal at Chelsea in January 2020. He carried the ball from inside Arsenal’s half and finished after racing beyond the defence. The goal displayed speed, control and composure during a high-pressure away match.
The move became an early example of his threat in transition. Defenders struggle when he receives space to accelerate toward goal.
Ten-goal debut season
Reaching double figures gave Martinelli a strong first-year base. He contributed from the left wing and centre-forward positions while adjusting to English football.
Arsenal’s team changed coaches during the season, so he also had to learn new pressing and possession instructions. Mikel Arteta became the coach who shaped his longer-term role.
Knee injury and recovery
Injury in 2020
A knee injury in training required surgery and kept Martinelli out for several months. The absence interrupted a season in which his minutes had risen quickly.
Rehabilitation focused on strength, movement and confidence in contact. A winger depends on explosive changes of direction, so the return required more than healing the joint.
Return to competition
Martinelli returned in December 2020. Arsenal managed his minutes as he rebuilt match rhythm. He had to compete with established attackers while proving that his acceleration and pressing intensity had returned.
The recovery period slowed his statistical progress but added experience in handling a long setback early in his career.
Development under Mikel Arteta
Left-wing responsibilities
Arteta uses the left winger to stretch the defence, run behind the full-back and press the first pass after possession changes. Martinelli learned to judge when to stay wide and when to enter the penalty area.
His position changes with the left-back and left-sided midfielder. If the full-back overlaps, Martinelli can move inside. If the full-back stays deeper, he provides the width.
Defensive work
Arsenal asks Martinelli to track the opposing full-back and close passing lanes toward midfield. He can sprint back after an attack breaks down and help the left-back avoid a two-against-one.
This work reduces some attacking energy but keeps Arsenal’s shape stable. It also helps the team press high because the winger protects the route down the touchline.
First major Arsenal trophy
Martinelli belonged to Arsenal’s 2020 FA Cup-winning squad, though injury kept him out of the final. The team beat Chelsea at Wembley.
The medal came during his first English season, but his larger influence arrived as Arsenal rebuilt toward Champions League qualification and a league title challenge.
2021/22 breakthrough
Martinelli earned a more regular place during 2021/22. He scored against teams including Newcastle, Leeds and Watford and developed a productive partnership with Arsenal’s young attacking group.
The club narrowly missed Champions League qualification. The disappointment became part of a young squad’s development before stronger league campaigns followed.
Career-best 2022/23 league season
Fifteen Premier League goals
Martinelli scored 15 Premier League goals in 2022/23. Arsenal led the table for much of the season and finished second behind Manchester City.
His finishing improved because he attacked the far post and central spaces more often. He still created through dribbles, but more goals came from arriving where a striker would expect the final pass.
Partnership with Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus could move away from the centre and combine near the touchline. That movement opened an inside lane for Martinelli. The two Brazilians also understood when one player should press and the other should cover.
Leandro Trossard added another creative option after joining in January. Competition gave Arteta different ways to use the left side.
Return to the Champions League
2023/24 campaign
Arsenal returned to the Champions League in 2023/24. Martinelli scored on his competition debut against Sevilla and experienced knockout football as the team reached the quarter-finals.
The European matches tested his defensive choices against full-backs who could punish an aggressive press. Arsenal also challenged for the Premier League title and finished second.
Learning against deep defences
Opponents often protected the penalty area and left little space behind. Martinelli had to receive with a defender close, combine in narrow areas and use quick movement instead of relying on a long sprint.
His best moments still came when Arsenal moved the ball fast enough to isolate him before the defence set its block.
2024/25 season
Martinelli remained part of Arsenal’s left-wing rotation and scored in the 2-2 draw at Liverpool. Arsenal finished second in the Premier League and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
The club’s progress in Europe prepared the squad for a deeper run the following season. Martinelli entered 2025/26 with experience in league title races and Champions League knockout ties.
2025/26 Premier League champion
Arsenal’s first title in 22 years
Arsenal won the 2025/26 Premier League, ending a 22-year wait for the English championship. UEFA confirmed the title context before the Champions League final.
Martinelli contributed across a season in which Arteta rotated several attacking options. The title added the defining senior club honour of his career to that date.
Fifty-three appearances
FIFA recorded 53 Arsenal appearances and 25 starts for Martinelli during the 2025/26 season. The split shows a campaign with both starting and substitute roles.
He could enter against tired defenders or start when Arsenal wanted direct running from the left. The workload also covered a long Champions League campaign.
2026 Champions League final
Road to Budapest
Arsenal eliminated Sporting CP and Atlético Madrid in the knockout rounds and reached the final against Paris Saint-Germain. It was the men’s team’s first Champions League final since 2006.
Martinelli was among Arsenal’s substitutes for the final. The campaign ended days before he joined Brazil’s World Cup preparation in the United States.
Defeat on penalties
Arsenal and Paris drew 1-1 after extra time. Paris won the shootout 4-3 and retained the trophy. UEFA recorded Kai Havertz’s early goal and Ousmane Dembélé’s second-half penalty.
The defeat left Arsenal as European runner-up after its domestic title. Martinelli then shifted from club recovery to the World Cup schedule.
Brazil youth and Olympic career
Youth international path
Martinelli was eligible for Brazil and Italy through family ancestry, but represented Brazil. CBF lists him among the 2026 squad members who passed through the national youth structure.
His rise through Arsenal brought him into senior consideration while still eligible for under-23 football.
Tokyo Olympic gold
Martinelli won Olympic gold with Brazil at the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021. Brazil beat Spain after extra time in the final. He converted a penalty during the quarter-final shootout against Egypt’s tournament opposition.
The medal gave him international knockout experience before his senior World Cup debut.
Brazil senior debut
Martinelli made his senior Brazil debut in 2022. His Arsenal form earned selection for the World Cup in Qatar later that year.
He joined an attacking group with Vinicius Jr, Raphinha, Neymar and other established forwards. His role centred on energy and direct running from the bench.
2022 FIFA World Cup
Martinelli appeared at the 2022 World Cup as Brazil reached the quarter-finals. He started the final group match against Cameroon after substitute minutes earlier in the tournament.
Brazil lost to Croatia on penalties in the quarter-final. The experience gave Martinelli first-hand knowledge of the narrow margins in a knockout match.
First senior Brazil goal
Martinelli scored his first senior Brazil goal against Colombia in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in November 2023. He finished an early move but Brazil later lost 2-1.
The goal showed his ability to attack through the middle rather than staying on the left touchline. That flexibility returned during the 2026 tournament.
Selection for World Cup 2026
Carlo Ancelotti named Martinelli in Brazil’s 26-player squad on 18 May 2026. CBF assigned him number 22. He joined the camp after Arsenal’s Champions League final.
Brazil’s starting attack included Vinicius Jr, Matheus Cunha and other options, so Martinelli began the tournament as a substitute who could cover the left or centre.
Martinelli at the 2026 World Cup
Opening match against Morocco
Brazil drew 1-1 with Morocco. Martinelli remained an unused substitute as Ancelotti chose other attacking changes.
Haiti appearance
Martinelli replaced Lucas Paquetá in the 64th minute of the 3-0 win over Haiti. Brazil had scored all three goals before his introduction.
He helped maintain pressure and gained his first minutes of the tournament.
Scotland appearance
He again replaced Paquetá, this time in the 66th minute of the 3-0 win over Scotland. Brazil finished first in Group C.
The two group appearances prepared him for a larger role in the first knockout match.
Winner against Japan
Martinelli entered in the 75th minute against Japan with the score 1-1. FIFA records that he played in a more central position.
Rayan won the ball high, Bruno Guimarães supplied the pass and Martinelli finished across goalkeeper Zion Suzuki in the 90+5 minute. The 2-1 win sent Brazil to the round of 16. FIFA identified it as his fifth senior international goal.
Start against Norway
Ancelotti started Martinelli in a midfield-attacking role against Norway. He created two first-half chances but goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland stopped Brazil.
Neymar replaced him in the 68th minute. Norway later scored twice and won 2-1, ending Brazil’s tournament. Martinelli finished with four appearances, one start and one goal.
Playing position and tactical role
Left winger
Martinelli stays wide to stretch the right-back, then accelerates inside when a teammate finds space for the pass. He can shoot across goal or reach the byline for a cutback.
Central forward
FIFA highlighted his central role against Japan. From the middle, he attacks the gap between centre-backs and can press the first pass out of defence.
Pressing responsibilities
He closes the defender in possession and adjusts his run to block a safe return pass. Arsenal’s press works when the winger and striker move together.
Technical strengths
Acceleration
Martinelli reaches top speed over short distances and can turn a loose ball into a direct attack. His first touch aims forward when space opens.
Movement without the ball
He runs behind the full-back or crosses toward the far post when play develops on the opposite wing. These movements create chances without a dribble.
Finishing
Martinelli can finish across the goalkeeper with his right foot, as he did against Japan. He also scores from close range by arriving inside the box at the correct time.
Defensive effort
He recovers toward his own goal and helps the left-back. This work lets Arsenal keep an aggressive full-back structure without leaving the flank unprotected.
Areas of development
Deep defensive blocks reduce the space for his strongest runs. He needs quick combinations and patient positioning when a right-back stays close.
Competition at Arsenal also demands consistent output from starts and substitute appearances. His 2025/26 split shows the importance of influencing matches from both roles.
How he fits Arsenal
Martinelli offers a different profile from Arsenal attackers who prefer the ball to feet. He threatens the space behind a defence and presses with speed.
His relationship with Arsenal’s left-back and midfield determines the width. One player stays outside while another enters the half-space, preventing both from occupying the same lane.
How he fitted Brazil in 2026
Brazil used Martinelli behind Vinicius in the left-wing order and as a central option. Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães supplied midfield control, while Douglas Santos protected the left side.
His goal against Japan rewarded Ancelotti’s decision to use bench depth. The Norway start then showed he could fill a different role when Brazil wanted another runner around the centre-forward.
Career timeline
- 2018: Made his senior Ituano debut at 16.
- 2019: Won the Paulista breakthrough award and joined Arsenal.
- 2019/20: Scored 10 goals in 26 Arsenal appearances.
- 2020: Underwent knee surgery and won the FA Cup as part of Arsenal’s squad.
- 2021: Won Olympic gold with Brazil.
- 2022: Made his senior Brazil debut and went to the Qatar World Cup.
- 2022/23: Scored 15 Premier League goals.
- 2023: Scored his first senior Brazil goal.
- 2025/26: Won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final.
- 29 June 2026: Scored Brazil’s stoppage-time World Cup winner against Japan.
Verified statistical checkpoints
- Arsenal debut season: 10 goals in 26 appearances.
- Premier League 2022/23: 15 goals.
- Arsenal 2025/26: 53 appearances and 25 starts according to FIFA.
- Brazil after World Cup 2026: 27 caps and five goals in FIFA’s final squad document.
- World Cup 2026: Four appearances, one start and one winning goal.
Frequently asked questions
Which club does Gabriel Martinelli play for?
He plays for Arsenal and wears number 11.
What position does Martinelli play?
His main position is left wing. He can also play through the centre.
Did Martinelli win the Premier League?
Yes. He was part of Arsenal’s 2025/26 Premier League title-winning team.
Did he score at the 2026 World Cup?
Yes. He scored the 90+5-minute winner in Brazil’s 2-1 round-of-32 victory over Japan.
How many Brazil goals does he have?
FIFA’s final 2026 squad document lists five goals in 27 senior appearances.
Editorial sources and update policy
FWC Times checked this profile against FIFA’s Martinelli feature and final squad document, CBF’s official World Cup reports, Arsenal’s club archive and UEFA’s 2026 Champions League final report.
Editors should update club and international totals only from newer Arsenal, UEFA, CBF or FIFA records. The page excludes personal-finance and valuation estimates without an appropriate primary source.
