Gabriel Teodoro Martinelli Silva (born 18 June 2001) best known as Gabriel Martinelli, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Arsenal.
Born and raised in Guarulhos, Martinelli began his senior club career playing for Ituano, prior to signing for English club Arsenal in July 2019, aged 18, where he won the FA Cup in his debut season.
At international level, Martinelli represents the Brazil under-23s. He helped Brazil win an Olympic Gold in men’s football at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Early Life and Career
Born in Guarulhos, São Paulo, Martinelli started his career in 2010, playing for Corinthians’ futsal team. After making the breakthrough in football fields, he moved to Ituano in 2015, having subsequent trials at Manchester United and Barcelona.
On 4 November 2017, Martinelli signed his first professional contract until October 2022. He made his professional debut the following 17 March, coming on as a late substitute for goalscorer Claudinho in a 2–1 Campeonato Paulista away win against São Bento; at the age of 16 years and nine months, he became the youngest player to debut for the club in the century.
Martinelli scored his first senior goal on 8 September 2018, netting the second in a 4–1 win over Taboão da Serra, for the year’s Copa Paulista. Definitively promoted to the first team for the 2019 Campeonato Paulista, he scored six goals during the competition, being the club’s top goalscorer as they reached the quarterfinals; highlights included a brace in a 3–0 away win against Bragantino on 15 March 2019.
Martinelli was reportedly subject to interest from a number of clubs, but signed a long term contract with Premier League club Arsenal on 2 July 2019, for a reported fee of £6 million (R$46.9 million). Holding an Italian passport, Martinelli was not subject to the scrutinzed criteria required for English clubs to sign South American players. He scored a goal on his non-competitive debut, in a 3–0 pre-season win against Colorado Rapids on 16 July.
Martinelli made his Premier League debut on 11 August 2019 in a 1–0 win against Newcastle United, coming on in the 84th minute as a substitute for Henrikh Mkhitaryan. On 24 September, Martinelli scored a brace in his first competitive start for the club in a 5–0 victory over Championship side Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup. His performance received praise from head coach 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”.
Martinelli made his second start for Arsenal in a 4–0 home win over Standard Liège in the UEFA Europa League on 4 October, in which he scored another brace. Martinelli kept up his goal scoring form, netting the equalizer in a 3–2 home win over Vitória Guimarães on 24 October, with another header. In the League Cup fourth round on 30 October, Martinelli registered another brace in a 5–5 draw with Liverpool, and also scored his penalty in the penalty shootout, which Arsenal eventually lost. As a result, he became the first player to score four times in his first four starts since Ian Wright. Martinelli’s performance received praise from Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who labelled him “[the] talent of the century”.
“He’s an 18-year-old kid with all the enthusiasm. Brave [enough] to threaten the opponent every time. The way he went about every single action is impressive.”
—Arsenal’s head coach Mikel Arteta on Martinelli’s performances.
Martinelli’s performances led to him being awarded the Arsenal ‘Player of the Month’ award for October, receiving 75% of the total votes cast, beating out Mattéo Guendouzi and Nicolas Pépé. After the appointment of interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg, Martinelli started his first Premier League game, scoring Arsenal’s equaliser in an eventual 1–3 win over West Ham United on 9 December. On 21 January 2020,, Martinelli scored in a 2–2 away draw at Chelsea on 21 January, making him the first teenager to reach double figures in a season for Arsenal since Nicolas Anelka. The goal was later voted as Arsenal’s Goal of the Season by the club’s fans.
On 3 July, Martinelli signed a new four-year contract, with a team option for an extra year, until 2025. Shortly after, Martinelli was ruled out until the end of 2020, undergoing surgery to repair a lesion in the cartilage of his knee following an injury in training on 21 June. He made his return on 19 December, coming off the bench to play 19 minutes in a 2–1 away defeat to Everton. During the warmup against Newcastle United in the FA Cup on 9 January 2021, he sustained a minor ankle injury and was replaced in the lineup by Reiss Nelson. Martinelli returned to playing in European competition on 18 February, making a 13 minute cameo appearance off the bench in a 1–1 draw against Benfica. He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 away victory against Sheffield United on 11 April.
Martinelli scored his first goal (a volley with his second touch of the game) of the 2021–22 season against Newcastle United on 27 November. On 18 December, he scored twice against Leeds United three days later, marking his first Premier League brace, with his first goal marking Arsenal’s 7,000th scored in top-division English football.
International Career
Martinelli was born in Brazil, and is of Italian descent through his father; he holds dual Brazilian-Italian citizenship. On 20 May 2019, Martinelli was called up by Brazil national team manager Tite to complete preparatory training for the 2019 Copa América. In November 2019, Martinelli appeared for Brazil’s under-23 side at the United International Football Festival in Spain.
On 2 July 2021, Martinelli was named in the Brazil squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics. On 3 August, Martinelli scored Brazil’s second penalty to help defeat Mexico in the Olympic semi-final, before becoming a gold medallist after Brazil defeated Spain in the final four days later.
Wife
The Arsenal star has been married to Rachel Akemy for some years now after deciding they suited each other. There are also some media outlets who report that the player and his girlfriend got married way back in July 2019.
Rachel Akemy is an entrepreneur who runs her own online store which has on sale bracelets, necklaces, chokers as well as outfits.
According to research, both Martinelli and Rachel have been in a relationship since high school, and have a fair idea of each other over the years.
The forward even at a young age has taken a huge decision by getting engaged to the beautiful Rachel Akemy. Based on her activities on Instagram, Rachel Akemy is a fun-filled personality and is mostly caught up in crazy activities almost every time.
She’s either involved in playing volleyball at the beach or a night out with her female friends. She also loves to share smiles on the faces of her friends.
The pair also take seize the opportunity to take pictures of themselves whenever they visit exotic destinations.
Net Worth and Salary
Gabriel Martinelli earns £2,600,000 annually playing for Arsenal FC.
Gabriel Martinelli’s net worth as of 2021 is estimated to be around $3 million – $15 million.
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