Provided that football had its caffeine, the resulting product would be Gabriel Martinelli, a kind of a pure energy dose that does not allow a game to fall into stagnation. September this year, the Brazilian winger not only played football, he even burnt it. With lightning bursts off the bench and goals that could make defenders question their life choices, Martinelli earned Arsenalโs Player of the Month award in style, claiming a whopping 54% of the vote.
According to sources, Arsenalโs dressing room had long anticipated his comeback to full throttle formโand when he did, it felt like a live wire had been plugged straight into the Emirates.
Gabriel Martinelli Brings the Samba to Bilbao
Letโs talk Bilbao. Or more precisely, letโs talk about how Gabriel Martinelli turned a tense Champions League tie into his personal sprinting masterclass. Having been introduced at 0-0, he only needed 37 seconds–that is your average Tik Tok time, by the way–before he came through the line of Athletic Club and passed the ball behind the goal line through Unai Simon.
It was not a win, it was a mic drop. And on top of everything, he would proceed to help Leandro Trossard to a 2-0 win. Not bad on a stand in who likely had not even changed his shin pads yet.
Gabriel Martinelliโs Late Magic Against Manchester City
You know those moments when youโre about to switch off the TV, thinking the gameโs done? Well, Martinelli exists to ruin that plan. In the 93rd minute against Manchester City, with Arsenal trailing 1-0, Gabi latched onto Ebere Ezeโs delicious through-ball and lobbed Gianluigi Donnarumma with the nonchalance of someone tossing a coin into a fountain.
The equalizer didnโt just save Arsenalโs nightโit earned him the BBCโs Match of the Day Goal of the Month and a Premier League nomination. According to sources, even Pep Guardiola had a reluctant grin afterward, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, โThis kid, man.โ
Gabriel Martinelli: the Arsenal Super-Sub and Serial Scene-Stealer.
Overall, Gabriel Martinelli looks at substitutions in the 21st century, where they can be defensive tactical changes, rather than movie cameos: short, bright, and memorable. He featured in all of his matches in the month, either setting fire to the legs of defenders in the Carabao Cup against Port Vale or tormenting weary legs in Premier League games against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
His speed is not all of it–it is what he intends to do. Every run looks like a declaration of war against complacency. And fans adore him for it.
Authorโs Take: The Chaos We Needed
Hereโs the thingโfootball needs players like Gabriel Martinelli. The sport has enough well-drilled tacticians and positional robots. What it craves is chaos artistsโthose who operate on adrenaline and instinct, painting wild brushstrokes on the green canvas.
Watching Martinelli reminds me of the first time you saw a roller coaster and thought, โThat looks dangerousโI want in.โ That is the very thrill that he introduces to the Arsenal team. He is a not a regular winger, he is an adrenaline habit that the team cannot get rid of.
Mikel Arteta is fond of his randomness even when it means that his well-planned playing script at times looks like an upkeep sheet.
Martinelli: A Star Reignited.
It is the fifth Player of the Month award granted by Martinelli since his arrival at Arsenal, the first one since January of this year. At that time, he was the new wonder kid. Now he is a grown threat–a gamer who has learned when to charge on and when to wait patiently and then blow himself out.
The figures are admiring, but what he does is still more impressive. It is his energy that infiltrates the teammates, intimidates the opponents and even energizes the audience that have already seen more than enough sterile 0-0 games.
September was a comeback but it was more than that. And if this is the version of Gabriel Martinelli Arsenal get for the rest of the season, Premier League defenses might want to start investing in insurance policies.
