Martinelli: The wide man taking recruits under his wing
Our Brazilian was made to feel at home here from day one – and now he wants our latest arrivals to also feel that north London is where the heart is
Gabi was just 18 when he signed for Arsenal, making the near 6,000-mile journey from Itu, a town in Sao Paulo state, to London.
Despite his young age, Gabi was no stranger to travelling across continents – he was invited to trials with clubs in Europe during his early teenage years – with those experiences aiding our forward during his early days as an Arsenal player.
“I knew there were clubs interested in signing me around the time I joined Arsenal – but I was just focusing on playing football,” he says. “But then one day my agent gave me a call and told me that Arsenal wanted to sign me. When I found out I was just super excited.
“To be honest, it was quite an emotional feeling. I phoned my family straight away and told them. It was such a good feeling to find out that such a big club wanted to sign me. I was really proud.
“I remember feeling a bit of everything when I woke up on my first day. But I was mainly so excited. The thing is, I came over from quite a small club in Brazil. Then, all of a sudden, I was surrounded by these big stars. It was just amazing.
“When I came over, I couldn’t really speak any English – but I received a lot of help. I went to the gym with my new team-mates on my first afternoon at the club and that was something special – looking around the room, seeing who I was with and thinking about the journey I’d been on.
“The squad really helped me in those early days. The first player I spoke to was Shkodran Mustafi – he tried to speak Portuguese with me and was really nice. But in truth it felt like everyone made the effort with me.
“I became really close with Emi Martinez. He was so important and so helpful. He tried to help me with the language – he was always next to me, helping me with everything. He was the main man here for me at that time.
"In my first year at the club, we spent New Year’s Eve together. I went to his house with my family. Honestly, he was amazing for me and I’m really thankful. I’m still in contact with him now and he’s someone I’ll always keep in my heart.
“David Luiz was special too. He helped me a lot –as he did the whole squad. He was always giving advice and was really important for me as well.”
The warm reception Gabi received in the dressing room was crucial in helping him to settle almost instantly in north London. Aged just 18, he scored 10 goals in his first season – making him the first teenager since Nicolas Anelka to reach double figures in a single campaign for us.
Now Gabi is using the memories of his own positive bedding in experience to ensure new additions to the squad are made to feel welcome as soon as they arrive at London Colney.
“We have something here that is just special,” he tells us. “Every player who joins this football club is just made so welcome right from the start, obviously by the players but also by the training ground staff. The manager and the coaches are responsible for it too. This is a place that everyone wants to be part of. It’s a family and a really good club to be at.
"The way that people welcomed me here was special and I’ve been trying to do the same for every new player. It was an example for me. I always try to make their lives as easy as possible because I know how hard it can be when you arrive somewhere and you don’t speak the language or know many people. I always try my best to help. When you’re a family, you stick together at all times. We’re always there, side by side, trying to help each other.”
"The way that people welcomed me here was special and I’ve been trying to do the same
for every new player. It was an example for me"
The warm reception Gabi received in the dressing room was crucial in helping him to settle almost instantly in north London. Aged just 18, he scored 10 goals in his first season – making him the first teenager since Nicolas Anelka to reach double figures in a single campaign for us.
Now Gabi is using the memories of his own positive bedding in experience to ensure new additions to the squad are made to feel welcome as soon as they arrive at London Colney.
“We have something here that is just special,” he tells us. “Every player who joins this football club is just made so welcome right from the start, obviously by the players but also by the training ground staff. The manager and the coaches are responsible for it too. This is a place that everyone wants to be part of. It’s a family and a really good club to be at.
Gabi played a particularly important role in helping Fabio Vieira settle when the midfielder joined us from Porto in the summer of 2022.
“We have a really good relationship,” he says with a smile. “With Fabio it was a bit easier because we speak the same language, so we can have conversations more naturally. We’ve become really good friends and that’s going to be the case for life.
“Our girlfriends are really close too and we all like to do things together. For example, a while back, we went to an escape room together as a four and that was good fun.
"It’s nice to have someone who likes to speak your language, someone you can have big conversations with. We’ve got a real bond. I trust him – he’s a good guy and he’s got a son now... wow! We are going to go and visit the baby soon.”
"it’s nice when you can speak your first language. There are a lot of Portuguese-speaking players here and that’s helpful"
Still only 22, Gabi has integrated seamlessly into life in England. The forward views London as “my home now” – although the multiple Portuguese speakers in our dressing room help ensure he never feels too far from Brazil.
“Sometimes when I speak to my mum I tell her I want to stay in London and maybe even stay here after football – you never know,” Gabi told us earlier this year. “But I love it here. She’s like: ’Ahhh, you need to come back to Brazil sometimes as well!’
“There are a lot of languages spoken in the dressing room, so we can always communicate as a group. But it’s nice when you can speak your first language. There are a lot of Portuguese-speaking players here and that’s helpful because you can put into words what you really want to say.
“Sometimes, in English, there’s something you want to say but it’s hard to find the right words. It’s a bit tricky. But in Portuguese, it’s much easier. It’s really good to have those players in the dressing room. We’re always together – the Gabis, Fabio, Cedric, Jorginho. It’s nice to have them here and it strengthens that bond too.”
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