Martinelli: The wide man taking recruits under his wing
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.