Gabriel Martinelli has been one of the shining lights of Arsenal’s season so far.
It’s been a tumultuous campaign of development for the Gunners but the youngsters have provided glimpses of hope and promise for the future under Mikel Arteta.
Martinelli was something of an unknown entity prior to his move to Arsenal, but he now find himself in the top 50 most valuable centre forwards in world football according to Transfermarkt.
Indeed, the popular football website recently updated their valuations and the Brazilian’s increased for the third time already this season.
He is now valued at £25.2m, which represents an £18m increase on the £7.2m he was ranked at as recently as September 2019.
There’s no doubt his recent market move is thoroughly merited, and with that in mind Football FanCast have dissected three major landmarks which have defined his rise to prominence.
Let’s take a look…
Signs for Arsenal
Of course, it was the teenager’s move to north London that signalled the birth of a rising star.
Martinelli was Arsenal’s first signing of the 2019 summer window, and the player wasted no time in making a statement of intent by revealing he models his game on Cristiano Ronaldo.
Joining from Brazilian outfit Ituano, Martinelli was almost a completely unknown entity but, if his first season is anything to go by, the Gunners’ scouting system really did manage to source an unknown gem from South America.
First appearance for Brazil U23s
Given the calibre of players Brazil traditionally bring through, turning out for the U23 side at just 18 years of age is a big achievement.
The Brazilian U23 side won Olympic silver in London 2012 with Neymar, Marcelo and Thiago Silva all featuring, and the youth side is always stacked with elite talent.
Following his impressive opening to life at Arsenal, Martinelli was handed his debut against Argentina’s U23s in November 2019 and played all 90 minutes in a 1-0 defeat.
It’s surely only a matter of time before he earns a senior call-up to Tite’s squad.
Hits double figures on maiden campaign
Martinelli offers Arsenal so much more than just goals but the regularity at which he finds the net is certainly a promising facet of his game.
He reached double figures for the season in January this year with a stunning solo goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, dribbling from the edge of his own area and capitalising on a defensive slip before slotting the ball beyond Kepa.
There is still plenty of time left this season to add to that tally, but reaching ten goals is an achievement in itself for a youngster who moved to a new continent less than twelve months ago.