Gabriel Martinelli’s season is gradually turning around as the Arsenal winger has received a call-up to the Brazil national team.
Martinelli has had a trialling time of late due to his form, with Mikel Arteta struggling to get the 23-year-old performing consistently.
After a searing 2023/24 campaign, the winger’s quality dipped last season, with this term starting in a similar light as Martinelli continues to search for confidence.
Things are starting to look up for the Brazilian however, as the Arsenal star will travel with the Selecao for the November international break.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli earns late Brazil call-up
Martinelli scored against Chelsea last time out for the Gunners, earning Arteta’s side a point in the London derby.
The goal was the wide man’s third of the campaign, with a lot of ground to make up before he reaches the highs of his 15-goal 2022/23 season.
Arteta has remained loyal to playing Martinelli, which has worked for the forward, who was called up late to Dorival Junior’s squad for the international break.
The CBF confirmed the news that the Arsenal ace would replace Real Madrid’s Rodrygo in the squad, travelling to his homeland for Brazil’s meetings with Venezuela and Uruguay.
Junior’s squad will need to impress during the break as the coach continues to come under scrutiny, handing Martinelli the perfect chance to impress when the stakes are high.
How fans in Brazil feel about Martinelli
As the news on Martinelli’s call-up broke, Arsenal Insider caught up with Brazilian journalist Rogerio Amaral Junior, who is Editor-in-Chief at Vamo Futebol.
Quizzing Junior on his thoughts on the Arsenal winger, the reporter shared the general consensus on the 23-year-old in his homeland.
“Martinelli is seen as a good option for the Brazilian team,” Junior explained.
“When he is not called up, coach Dorival Junior is criticized. He is seen as a good player, but he does not yet have the potential to be a starter for the national team.”
As per the Brazilian journalist’s insight, the Selecao coach receives some backlash when Martinelli is not picked, emphasising the perfect chance he has to impress ahead of him.
Over on X, there was an opposing opinion to Martinelli’s call-up from some followers of the Selecao, one said, “4 goals in his last 39 Martinelli?”
That being said, others agreed with Junior’s stance on the winger, as a Brazilian fan said, “Dorival not calling up Martinelli for the Brazilian national team is a joke,” a thought shared before his late call-up.
With two crucial games for Brazil coming up, Martinelli must use this platform to shine, with a lot to prove for both his country and club over the break.
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