From promise to performance? "Talent of century" gets chance to prove potential for Arsenal

Since his arrival at Arsenal in 2019, the Brazilian forward has promised much but has struggled to match the soaring trajectory of Bukayo Saka, who has already become one of the Premier League’s most consistent attackers.

While Saka has embraced the responsibility of being a leading figure at the Emirates, Gabriel Martinelli has flickered more than he has burned brightly. That may be about to change.

The Champions League semi-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain presents the perfect platform for Martinelli to take that step. These are the kinds of nights that define careers and reshape narratives.

With the world watching and the stakes at their highest, Martinelli has the opportunity to seize a mantle that has always seemed within reach but never firmly in his grasp.

Jurgen Klopp once labelled Martinelli “the talent of the century.” It was not an offhand remark — the Liverpool manager had just watched a teenager give his defence all sorts of problems and wanted the world to know it. Yet in the seasons since, that statement has hovered over Martinelli’s career like a challenge.

He has shown flashes of elite potential, but not consistently enough to justify that kind of praise. That may finally be changing.

The 23-year-old’s recent form suggests the timing may be right. After enduring a frustrating and injury-interrupted campaign, he has sprung back to life. His goal at the Santiago Bernabeu — a composed, electric finish deep into stoppage time — may not have changed the tie’s outcome, but it did alter the tone of his season. It was a statement. Martinelli had arrived when it mattered most.

That moment did more than send Arsenal into the last four of Europe’s elite competition. It reignited belief in a player many had begun to doubt. For months, Martinelli had looked short of confidence, stuck playing out of position and struggling to replicate the fearless style that once made him so thrilling to watch.

That version of him returned in Madrid, and it carried into the Premier League with sharp performances and a goal against Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace.

There’s a sense that he’s gathering momentum. Fully fit again and back on the left flank, Martinelli looks more like the direct, dangerous winger Arsenal fans fell in love with.

He now needs to sustain this level in matches where margins are tight and solutions are scarce — the kind of fixtures where Saka thrives.

Martinelli’s career at Arsenal has long been a story of potential. Next week, it could become a story of fulfilment.

PSG will not be easily overcome, but if Martinelli can influence the outcome, he will go some way to validating the early hype. More importantly, he will prove that Klopp’s praise was not premature — and that Arsenal do not need to look elsewhere for their next superstar wide man.

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