Gabriel Magalhaes missed out on the World Cup with Brazil and, as he grows ever more into his role as leader in the heart of Arsenal’s defence, that decision looks worse with every passing game.

Against Fulham at the Emirates earlier this season, a Gabriel mistake allowed Aleksandar Mitrovic to score before the Brazilian defender netted the winner himself in the 85th minute.

At Craven Cottage, Gabriel repeated his goalcoring trick, but did so without putting a single foot wrong at the back.

Gabriel’s partnership with the Rolls Royce that is William Saliba has been impressive and the Brazilian’s recent performance against Fulham showed his importance as Arsenal’s defensive rock as he displayed authority in everything he did.

In addtion to his error-free game and the goal he scored, he also won 4/6 duels and 2/3 aerial duels, and had a pass success rate of 86% for the match.

Overall this season, Gabriel leads Arsenal in terms of tackles won in the defensive third, blocks, shots blocked, aerial duels won, clearances, and is the only outfield player to feature in every minute of Premier League action this season for the club.

Gabriel has now scored three goals in four games against Fulham, including his first Arsenal goal in his debut in 2020, along with the two from this season.

He is the first defender to reach 10 goals in the last three seasons in the Premier League.

Tell me more about Gabriel Magalhaes

Gabriel Magalhães is a Brazilian professional footballer who currently plays as a centre-back for Arsenal in the English Premier League. He was born on December 19, 1997, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He began his youth career with Avaí FC and later joined Lille in 2017.

Gabriel made his professional debut for Lille in 2018 and quickly established himself as a key player for the French club. He helped Lille finish second in the Ligue 1 table in the 2019-20 season and was named in the league’s Team of the Year.

In September 1, 2020, Gabriel signed for Arsenal for a reported fee of £23 million. He has since become a regular starter for the Gunners and has formed a solid partnership with fellow centre-back William Saliba.

Gabriel is known for his strength, aerial ability, and composed defending. He is also comfortable on the ball and often starts attacks from the back.

In the current 2022-23 season, he has scored three goals so far, two against Fulham and one against Chelsea.