Gabriel Martinelli is the second highest scoring teenager in Europe at present and you can’t help but think if he was English or at another club the mainstream media would be wetting themselves over him.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 09: Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal FC at London Stadium on December 09, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 09: Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal FC at London Stadium on December 09, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

It’s hard to ignore Gabriel Martinelli.

He arrived in the summer and, despite being a bit part player and only 18, he is the club’s second highest goalscorer behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang while only getting a fraction of the minutes.

At his present rate, extrapolated over the number of minutes Auba has played, Martinelli would have 18 goals (from 20 games) compared to Auba’s 13.

He also has two more assists than the 30-year-old (3 v 1).

So, it’s perhaps no surprise, then, to see him top the teenager charts from around the continent.

As you can see from this table from Saturday’s Daily Telegraph, only Jadon Sancho has scored more than Arsenal’s Brazilian, and he’s played 1,650 minutes compared to Martinelli’s 717:

december 2019 martinlli top teenager in europe
via The Daily Telegraph

Minutes of players listed:

  • Jadon Sancho 1,650
  • Gabriel Martinelli 717
  • Mason Greenwood 896
  • Rodrygo 823
  • Ferran Torres 1,230
  • Dusan Vlahovic 738
  • Aaron Connolly 861
  • Yacine Adli 714
  • Ansu Fati 413
  • Kevin Denkey 389

As you can see, only one player has scored more than Martinelli and he’s played more minutes than any other player on the list.

Martinelli is also the second youngest on the list by 105 days and only three players have played fewer minutes.

Worth every single penny Arsenal paid for him, without a doubt.