The Arsenal starting lineup when Gabriel Martinelli made his debut

Gabriel Martinelli has brought the curtain down on his seven-year spell with Arsenal after completing a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.

The Brazil international first joined the Gunners from Ituano in 2019 and evolved from an unheard-of youngster to a Premier League superstar, but a significant drop in form has led to his departure. He scored 62 goals and provided 36 assists in 278 appearances during his time in North London.

Plenty has changed at the Emirates Stadium since Martinelli came off the bench to make his first team debut in a season opening 1-0 win away to Newcastle United. As is always the case when a much-loved player departs the club, nostalgia is hitting us hard right now so we're taking a look at where the starters from the winger's maiden voyage are now.

The Arsenal starting lineup when Gabriel Martinelli made his debut - Where are they now?

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Bernd Leno (GK) - The German fought off a battle from Emiliano Martínez to remain as Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper until 2021, but lost his place to Aaron Ramsdale and left for Fulham a year later, where he remains as the number one.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (RB) - His Gunners career never really took off despite starting regularly in Arteta's early years. He now plays for Lyon, where he has been since leaving Arsenal in 2023.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos (CB) - Sokratis did feature in Arteta's debut season, but he fell out of favour in the 2020/21 season and moved on to Olympiacos before heading to Real Betis, where he retired in 2024.

Calum Chambers (CB) - The three-cap England international remained in North London for a further three years ahead of joining Aston Villa in January 2022. He now captains Cardiff City and led them to an immediate return to the Championship following relegation to League One.

Nacho Monreal (LB) - This actually proved to be one of Monreal's final games for Arsenal as he joined Real Sociedad later that month. He remained in San Sebastian until he announced his retirement due to persistent injuries in 2022.

Midfielders

Granit Xhaka (DM) - One of his only games as captain, Xhaka's Gunners career was turbulent after this game, but he saved his reputation before departing for Bayer Leverkusen in 2023. He now skippers Sunderland after returning to the Premier League last summer.

Mattéo Guendouzi (DM) - Arteta froze Guendouzi out the squad due to several issues and after two loan spells away, he joined Marseille permanently before moving to Lazio and Fenerbahçe, who he now represents.

Joe Willock (AM) - Willock left his boyhood club for Newcastle in 2021 and helped the Magpies achieve a sensational fight back to avoid relegation and qualify for the Champions League the following year. He remains on Tyneside, but his future is uncertain despite scoring against Liverpool in the Premier League opener.

Forwards

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (RW) - Like Monreal, he left shortly after this game, joining Roma on an initial loan before making it permanent a year after. He has since spent four years with Inter Milan, reaching the Champions League final twice.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ST) - The matchwinner on the day, this was his final prolific season at Arsenal before things went downhill. After a short spell with Barcelona in 2022, he has since spent time with Chelsea, Marseille (twice) and Al-Qadsiah, but now plays for Deportivo A Coruña following a summer transfer.

Reiss Nelson (LW) - He is the only player from this team that still plays for the Gunners, but he finds himself on the brink of joining West Ham before the transfer window closes.

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