Luigi Gaspar has called Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli a ‘phenomenon’ on Instagram after Brazil’s exit from the Qatar World Cup.
This was the 21-year-old’s first major tournament for his nation, with the now-departed Tite unable to overlook his stunning performances in the Premier League and making a late call to select him in the squad.
But it’s one that he will want to put towards the back of his mind pretty quickly because, one of the pre-World Cup favourites, were sent packing home by Croatia in the quarter-final stages.
Martinelli didn’t feature against Croatia, starting only one game all tournament, as he watched from the sidelines when Marquinhos’ penalty hit the post and meant that it was a surprise exit for the South American giants.
Despite all of that, Arsenal’s flying winger shared this difficult message to the fans, where he made that that he will ‘learn’ from this experience, with Edu Gaspar’s son praising the player in the comments section.
“Hard for me to put this into words,” said Martinelli. “Gutted our World Cup journey ended that way. To all the fans who supported us, I would like to say thank you.
“Hearing all of you in the stadiums and watching your videos at home is something I will never forget. I learned a lot from this World Cup, but I know that as a country, we will come back stronger.”
MARTINELLI IS BRAZIL’S FUTURE
There will be Arsenal fans asking why Martinelli didn’t earn more minutes given his form this season, especially against Croatia, where they were lacking that attacking bite for large parts.
But the £6 million star (Goal) needs to remember that he is the future of Brazil football and he will be featuring a lot more in years to come.
Starting with the Copa America and then the 2024 World Cup, but in order for the versatile winger to play a key part in that, he needs to carry on cooking on the domestic stage for Arsenal.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
