Observing Gabriel Martinelli make his Brazil debut was difficult to avoid thinking of his time at Arsenal.

As fresh as they come, Martinelli had just joined Ituano, a fourth-tier Brazilian squad, in England in 2019.

He was once skinny and frail with no command of English, but he has grown into a mainstay in Arsenal’s first team and is now a full Brazil international. Now the boy is an adult.

The Gunners’ manager, Mikel Arteta, said of Martinelli, “He puts in a lot of training. What I like about him is that he is not afraid to take risks and is always willing to do more.”

Ever since moving to Arsenal three years ago, Martinelli has changed a lot.

Maybe the most notable adaption has been his physical one. He has focused on building up his body and estimates that he has gained seven or eight kilograms since arriving in England.

This is primarily due to Martinelli’s strict diet, usage of home exercise equipment, and employment of a personal trainer.

“Of course you can’t lose speed, but I don’t think I did and I just gained muscle mass,” Martinelli recently stated to Globo Esporte.

“English football is very different from Brazilian football; the game is always changing, requiring you to run more.” English football is also faster and more muscular. At first, it was incredibly difficult, but now that I can adapt, everything is OK.

Martinelli’s tactical acumen has also grown, especially in his ability to make decisions. This contributed to his delayed assimilation into the first team since it was ensured he could carry out Arteta’s wishes.

Arteta had noted early in the season that “he’s able to put some gears into his play.” “Even though he occasionally still moves at a hundred miles per hour, his energy and quality are excellent.”

Martinelli has, at last, progressed off the field as well. The fact that his family traveled to England with him and that Emiliano Martinez took him under his wing upon his arrival has been beneficial.

Martinelli started to rely on the goalie as his “big brother,” as he assisted him with decisions on where to live and how to get an automobile. Pablo Mari also stepped up when Martinez encouraged him to use English in tactical meetings. Martinez was not the only one who did this.

After devoting himself to three language classes a week, Martinelli is now fluent in English and describes London as one of his favorite cities in the world.

The 20-year-old has settled nicely at Arsenal and is developing into an essential part of Arteta’s offensive machinery.

There are similarities between Martinelli’s story and that of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar, who he idolized growing up.

When they moved to England as youngsters, they had to adjust to English football both tactically and physically. While Ronaldo may have arrived sooner and achieved greater success, Martinelli is also progressing quickly.

His play still reflects aspects of his childhood, most notably the deft dribbling he developed while playing futsal. That was made clear by his wild run against Bolivia on Tuesday, which went viral.

That was the initial reason Arsenal scouted the forward, and technical director Edu was crucial in persuading Martinelli to sign a new contract in 2020 by selling the concept.

He was supposed to sign with Arsenal and play for the Under-23s, but due to his performance on the summer tour of the USA in 2019, he was called up to the first team right away.

Martinelli’s natural position is left winger, but manager Unai Emery used him centrally as well, and in his Europa League debut, he famously scored a hat-trick.

Given his speed and the fact that he has bulked up since coming to England, some Arsenal employees believe that Martinelli may wind up as a striker in the long run.

In any case, the Brazilian lad has advanced significantly since joining Arsenal.