William Saliba has backed his Arsenal centre-back partner to be the surprise package of this summer’s World Cup.
When asked by L’Equipe who he thinks will shock everyone at the tournament, Saliba did not hesitate to name Brazil’s Gabriel Magalhaes.
“Am I saying from my team, or Arsenal? That’s a tough one. Gabriel, it’s his first World Cup,” Saliba said.
Saliba knows Gabriel’s qualities better than almost anyone. Their partnership at the heart of Arsenal’s defence has been central to the team’s excellent defensive record over the past two seasons.
Have Arsenal ever had a better defensive partnership than William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes? If yes, tell us who!
Few centre-back pairings in Europe can match their physical dominance and understanding of each other’s game.
Unfortunately, Gabriel endured a difficult opening night against Morocco, with Brazilian media slamming a mix-up between the Arsenal defender and Alisson Becker that allowed Ismael Saibari to open the scoring after 21 minutes.
Brazil came from behind to draw 1-1, with Vinicius Jr cancelling out the early setback, and Gabriel recovered well to play a key role in Brazil’s build-up.
It is also a tournament Gabriel will want to put right after the heartbreak of missing the decisive penalty in the Champions League final shootout against PSG.
A strong World Cup campaign would be the perfect way to bounce back on the biggest stage of all, and Saliba clearly believes he has exactly that in him.
William Saliba himself impressed on his return from injury
William Saliba’s own World Cup got off to a much smoother start.
Having overcome fitness concerns that threatened to rule him out of the tournament entirely, the defender played the full 90 minutes in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal, recording four interceptions, two recoveries and winning his only aerial duel.
🏆 Which Arsenal star will go the furthest at this summer’s World Cup?
Zubimendi and Spain? Saka and England? Saliba and France?
He showed no signs of the back issue that has been managed carefully throughout the build-up to the tournament, despite suggestions he could require surgery afterwards.
Elsewhere on the opening matchday, two more Arsenal targets caught the eye.
Ayyoub Bouaddi impressed for Morocco in their draw with Brazil, doing little to dampen Arsenal’s interest in the midfielder.
Bradley Barcola, who Arsenal have been in contact with, was also on the scoresheet as France saw off Senegal, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a brace of his own.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
