Is Gabriel Martinelli worthy of Arsenal’s number 11 shirt?

Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli will be the next Arsenal player to don the number 11. Previously wearing number 35, the 20-year-old is moving up the ranks at the Emirates and, by choosing this number, joins a host of former Arsenal stars in wearing the illustrious shirt.

The likes of Marc Overmars, Ray Parlour, Sylvain Wiltord, Mesut Ozil, and Robin van Persie, are just some of those names.

For many, Martinelli is on a meteoric rise to becoming one of the most dangerous players in Arsenal’s front line, and he is well on his way. The pacey winger has everything in his kit bag to be a destructive winger in the Premier League.

His tenacity, energy, skills, quick feet, and constant ability to harass and hurry the opposition make him a fan favourite at the Emirates. His ability to link up with Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe and work neat little triangles in the final third, along with his supreme ability to finish chances when they come his way, all point to a young player capable of dealing with the pressure that comes with that number.

Is Gabriel Martinelli worthy of Arsenal’s number 11 shirt?

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His new number signals intent from the club that they see him as part of their future, much like Saka (#7) and Smith Rowe (#10).

Martinelli is superbly placed to do the number 11 shirt justice as others have in the club’s esteemed history. Overmars was a supremely gifted winger known for his incredible technical skills during his time that produced 38 goals and 31 assists in 136 appearances.

While Wiltord was a menace in every position along the front line as he won two league titles and two FA Cups in four years with Arsenal, scoring 49 goals and registering 29 assists across his 174 appearances.

Mesut Ozil and Robin van Persie, as touchy a pair of subjects they are for Arsenal supporters, are two contemporary stars to don the number 11 shirt. While their departures from the club were not ideal, no one can argue that they were sensational to watch at the peak of their powers.

Others, however, haven’t quite done the number 11 proud; Andre Santos springs to mind as an utter failure, while Carlos Vela had potential but never delivered. Lucas Torreira is another who didn’t quite sustain his initial promise.

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For Martinelli, a player who Jurgen Klopp named “the talent of the century” back in 2019, he has shown his ability to break games open and terrorise opposing defences. A knee injury in 2020 saw him miss 30 games, which hindered his development, and it took a long time for the Brazilian to re-take his spot in the starting XI.

He burst onto the scene in the 2019/20 season, netting ten times and assisting another four in 26 games in all competitions. The aforementioned knee injury derailed his 2020/21 season as he played just 14 games for two goals and an assist.

He has netted five times this term while adding another five assists in the Premier League as he attempts to deliver on the promise he manifested during his debut season.

Handing Martinelli the number 11 shirt is a sign that Mikel Arteta sees the 20-year-old as a star for the club for the foreseeable future.

The young Brazilian is more than worthy of wearing the famous number 11 for Arsenal, and he is destined to join some of the club greats if his career trajectory keeps going the way it is.

While this season might not work out the way many Arsenal fans want, Gabriel Martinelli could become “the guy” for the Gunners next season, and he is superbly placed to take the Premier League by storm – if he hasn’t already.