Gabriel Teodoro Martinelli Silva made his first-team debut for Ituano in the 2018 Campeonato Paulista, the São Paulo state championship. Born on 18 June 2001 in Guarulhos, in São Paulo state, he is a Brazilian forward who usually plays on the left wing. He joined Arsenal in July 2019, spent seven seasons in north London and signed for Saudi club Al-Hilal in September 2026. Through his father’s family he also holds Italian citizenship.
Early years at Corinthians and Ituano
Martinelli started out in futsal at Corinthians before moving into the youth system at Ituano, a club from Itu in the interior of São Paulo state. He was promoted to the senior squad in 2018 and made his name in the 2019 Campeonato Paulista. In January that year he scored in stoppage time of a 2-0 win over São Bento, and he finished the tournament with six goals as Ituano’s top scorer, helping the side reach the quarter-finals. The São Paulo football federation named him the competition’s best young player and put him in its team of the tournament.
Arrival in London
Arsenal announced his signing on 2 July 2019, for a fee reported at around £6 million. His Italian passport meant he did not need the work permit that most South American players require in England. He made his Premier League debut on 11 August 2019, coming off the bench in a 1-0 win at Newcastle United. His first competitive start came on 24 September in the League Cup, when he scored twice in a 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest. On 21 January 2020 he ran from inside his own half to score against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a goal Arsenal supporters voted the club’s goal of the season. In June 2020 he hurt his knee in training, needed surgery on the cartilage and did not return until December. Arsenal won the FA Cup in that 2019-20 season.
Settling on the left wing
Under Mikel Arteta he moved from central positions to the left flank, where he became a regular starter. In December 2021 he scored his first Premier League brace, in a win away at Leeds United. On 5 August 2022 he scored the opening goal of the league season at Crystal Palace, the first Brazilian to score the first goal of a Premier League campaign. He finished 2022-23 with 15 goals in all competitions, level with Martin Ødegaard as the club’s top scorer, as Arsenal finished second in the league. In August 2023 he was part of the side that beat Manchester City on penalties to win the Community Shield. On 16 April 2025 he scored at the Santiago Bernabéu in a 2-1 win over Real Madrid that put Arsenal into the Champions League semi-finals.
Style of play
His game at Arsenal was built on acceleration over short distances, pace in the run and work without the ball: he pressed opposing defenders and tracked back to help his full-back. Many of his goals came from attacking the box on the run rather than shooting from range, and two of his three goals at Portsmouth in 2026 were headers from corners.
Brazil
Martinelli was in the Brazil squad that won Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games, held in 2021: he converted his kick in the semi-final shoot-out against Mexico, and Brazil beat Spain in the final on 7 August. His senior debut came on 24 March 2022, as a substitute for Vinícius Júnior in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Chile at the Maracanã. Tite took him to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he played against Serbia, Cameroon and South Korea. He scored his first senior goal on 16 November 2023 in a 2-1 qualifying defeat to Colombia in Barranquilla, and in 2024 he was named in the squad for the Copa América. At the 2026 World Cup he came off the bench against Japan in the round of 32 and scored the stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 victory.
League title and move to Al-Hilal
The 2025-26 season was his last at Arsenal and the one in which the club won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, with the title sealed in May 2026. On 11 January that year he scored the first hat-trick of his career in a 4-1 FA Cup third-round win at Portsmouth, and the team reached the Champions League final, which they lost to Paris Saint-Germain. On 3 September 2026 Al-Hilal completed his signing for a fee reported at around £60 million, the most expensive sale in Arsenal’s history. On 12 September 2026 he scored his first goals for the Saudi club, a hat-trick in a 6-0 Saudi Pro League win away at Al-Taawoun.
Al Hilal