Arsenal old boy makes dazzling Ronaldo comparison with Gunners forward

Gabriel Martinelli, Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette

Former Arsenal forward Kevin Campbell has praised club talent Gabriel Martinelli, comparing him to Brazil superstar Ronaldo.

Martinelli, 19, caught the eye last season, netting ten times in 26 games for the Gunners last season before picking up a knee injury in June.

The Brazilian forward is forecast to recover from his knock in 2021 and Campbell has lauded the youngster’s quality ahead of his return.

“I think Martinelli is the one, I really do,” he told Football Insider. “Martinelli was sensational when he came in last season.

“He is a real handful – strong, direct and reminds me of the Brazilian Ronaldo. The way that he picks up the ball and runs at goal is phenomenal.

“I am not saying that he is Ronaldo but he reminds me of him, especially with that goal he scored at Chelsea.”

Last term, Martinelli was the first Arsenal teenager to hit double digits in a season since Nicolas Anelka in the 1997/98 campaign.

 

 

Although very excited about the attacker, Campbell was careful to not heap pressure onto the promising prospect.

He said: “(He’s got a) big future but I do not want to put too much pressure on him because he suffered that injury and he needs time to come back and get his feet under the table again, get comfortable and play games.

“Players tend to get long-term injuries and then come back and pick a niggle up somewhere else. He will need time to get back into the swing of things.”


Subscribe to TEAMtalk’s daily newsletter…


Martinelli ‘feeling very well’

Martinelli recently gave an update on his recovery and revealed his excitement to get back on the pitch once again.

“I’m feeling very well, I’m regaining confidence and I can feel my knee is better,” he said.

“After an injury like this you are kind of scared to force the knee again but the past couple of weeks it has been fine and soon I can start training with the ball.

“I think we have an excellent squad and along with Mikel’s forward thinking and winning mentality we can carry on doing well.

“We won trophies last season and I believe we can win this season again and also qualify for the Champions League.”

Read more…