Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli has posted on Instagram that he has had an ‘unforgettable’ first day with the Brazil national team.
The 20-year-old earned his first Brazil call-up recently and is now in line to represent his country during their forthcoming matches.
It’s a sign of the Arsenal forward’s progression in north London and under Mikel Arteta, this is what he posted on Monday afternoon.
‘Unforgettable day’, he posted, with an image of him arriving at the club’s main training centre.
Brazil have two World Cup qualifiers coming up, at first they will host Chile on Thursday evening, before a showdown with Bolivia next week.
Martinelli will be hoping to earn those all-important and memorable first minutes for his country because it has been deserved.
From the fresh-faced teenager that was plucked out of the blue from Edu in Brazil’s lower leagues, the versatile forward is proving to be one of the best finds.
It all hasn’t been plain sailing for the player because Arteta did hold him back when he was first appointed as manager – and rightly so.
A bit like Pep Guardiola has done with Phil Foden at Manchester City, Arsenal’s rising star has been eased in and he is now flourishing in north London.
Martinelli missed Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Aston Villa over the weekend through injury, but he is back on the road to put opponents on their backside on the international stage.
It will be interesting to see, when he returns back to the Emirates, if he is straight back into Arteta’s XI.
Emile Smith Rowe, who is on national duty with England, was outstanding at Villa Park and it would be harsh to drop the ball-carrying midfielder now.
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