Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli has paid tribute to the club with a special design on his shin pads ahead of Brazil's clash with Croatia on Friday. The meeting between the two nations comes in the quarter-finals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where the Selecao have their sights on yet another trophy.
Martinelli impressed enough to join a star studded squad for the tournament, adding end product to his impressive one-on-one skillset. The 21-year-old has been a bench option so far in the World Cup, but has already discussed his dreams of winning it with his nation.
"When Tite did call me up, I was so emotional, you have no idea …" Martinelli told the Players' Tribune. "I felt like I was living in some kind of parallel fantasy world. I owe so much to so many people, especially my parents. But I want to start by thanking my second family - Arsenal - because without you guys none of this would have been possible."
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The youngster could continue his rise to stardom, should he be featured in Brazil's run towards the final of the competition. His call backs to his routes at Arsenal is far from forgotten though as he made yet another nod to the Gunners during the quarter-final clash with Croatia.
A picture of his pre-match setup in the dressing room has shown the forward with his specially designed shin pads for the match. Each of them shows an image of him celebrating in an Arsenal shirt, showing his thanks to the club once again.
It remains to be seen if he can have an influence on the side in their World Cup campaign, but he will surely be ready for when his time comes.
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