Gabriel Martinelli praised in Brazil for 1st World Cup start | OneFootball

Gabriel Martinelli has received plenty of praise for his first Brazil start at the World Cup on Friday, despite Cameroon winning the match.

Brazil’s forward Gabriel Martinelli (R) takes part in a training session at Grand Hamad Stadium in Doha on November 29, 2022, during the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament. (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Gabriel Martinelli hadn’t made a start for Brazil’s senior side in any competition before Friday night, when he made his first on the biggest stage with an appearance at the World Cup against Cameroon.

The match didn’t go entirely to plan, with Brazil losing 1-0 and Gabriel Jesus picking up an injury, but Martinelli’s performance was a rare positive.

The winger received the highest rating for a Brazil player from Globo Esporte’s player ratings, as well as receiving the highest rating in their fan vote.

Another article from the same outlet suggested Martinelli was the “highlight” from the Brazilian performance.

With Jesus and Ben White pulling out of the tournament and Ghana eliminated, Arsenal fans are quickly losing players to root for at the World Cup.

But Martinelli is proving worthy of further appearances for Brazil, so perhaps they’ll get to see him in action more often in the latter stages of the tournament.

Martinelli has strong competition for starts, with Vinicius Jr certainly not likely to give up his spot easily. The Real Madrid star has plenty of top-level experience and will likely remain Brazil boss Tite’s favoured option.

All Martinelli can do is keep performing to a high level when he gets the chance, and be ready for any dip in form for, or injury to, the players in front of him.