Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has opened up on the pain that being 'rejected' by Manchester United as a teenager caused him as he prepares to showcase his talent on the biggest stage.
Martinelli, 21, has been a shining light for the table-topping Gunners this season, and his form led Brazil to pick him as a wildcard option for their World Cup squad. Despite only being capped three times by his country before these finals in Qatar, the fleet-footed Martinelli was included as part of a star-studded 26-player group.
It caps a meteoric rise for the Arsenal starlet after the North Londoners plucked him from lower-level Brazilian side Ituano for €7.1million in 2019. It wasn't too long before that Martinelli had hoped to forge a career for himself at Old Trafford, while Spanish giants Barcelona also passed up on their opportunity to sign him.
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Martinelli addressed his rejection by United and subsequent rise to the national team during an in-depth interview with the Players' Tribune. He said: "I felt like I was living in some kind of parallel fantasy world [when he was chosen for the World Cup squad].
"I thank God that I came to Arsenal in 2019. I really believe that things happen for a reason and I'm so happy here.
"It's funny to look back now, because I could so easily have ended up somewhere else. You see, I used to be part of this project at Manchester United. I was actually there for several trials. I even met many of the senior players. When I was 17, I had my last session there, so I went back to Brazil waiting for news.
"One day my dad called me into the living room. He had spoken to my agent and, well, United had said no. Not just; 'No, for this year... No, we don't want him at all'.
"I was shaken. They had seen me play several times and I was sure they were going to sign me.
"A few weeks later I got another trial at Barcelona. I spent 15 days there. They didn't want me either. That was easier to accept because it was just one trial, but still [that was also difficult]."
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