Gabriel Paulista

Gabriel Paulista

Gabriel playing for Arsenal in 2015
Personal information
Full name Gabriel Armando de Abreu[1]
Date of birth (1990-11-26) 26 November 1990[2]
Place of birth São Paulo, Brazil
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Playing position Centre back
Club information
Current team
 Arsenal
Number 5
Youth career
2009 Taboão da Serra
2009–2010 Vitória
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2010–2013 Vitória 77 (1)
2013–2015 Villarreal 37 (0)
2015– Arsenal 17 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 February 2016.

† Appearances (goals)

Gabriel Armando de Abreu (born 26 November 1990), known as Gabriel Paulista or simply Gabriel, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for English club Arsenal.

He began his career with Vitória in 2010, winning two Campeonato Baiano titles and finishing as runner-up in the 2010 Copa do Brasil. He also spent a season-and-a-half in Spain's top flight with Villarreal before joining Arsenal in January 2015.

Club career

Vitória

Born in São Paulo, Gabriel joined Esporte Clube Vitória's youth setup in 2009 from Clube Atlético Taboão da Serra, after having failed trials at Grêmio Barueri Futebol and Santos FC.[3] He made his senior debut for the former on 7 March 2010, starting in a 3–1 win at Camaçari for the Campeonato Baiano championship,[4] his only appearance in a season in which Vitória won the state title. He made his Série A debut on 15 May, replacing Vilson in a 1–1 home draw against Flamengo.[5]

In August 2010, Gabriel appeared in both matches of 2010 Copa do Brasil finals against Santos, but playing as a right back in a 3–2 aggregate loss. On 5 December, in the last game of a league season which saw his team relegated, Gabriel was sent off for a foul on Anaílson in a goalless home draw against Atlético Goianense.[6]

He made his first team breakthrough in late 2011, and went on to play a crucial role in the following year, appearing in 35 matches as Leão returned to Série A. On 6 September 2012 Gabriel signed a contract extension with Vitória, until 2016.[7]

He was elected the best central defender of 2013 Campeonato Baiano;[8] he opened in a 7–3 win at city rivals Esporte Clube Bahia on 12 May, in the first leg of the final (8–4 aggregate).[9] On 25 May, in the opening game of the 2013 season, he scored his only goal in the national league, putting Vitória 2–0 up after 12 minutes against Sport Club Internacional at the Arena Fonte Nova, an eventual 2–2 draw.[10]

Villarreal

On 15 August 2013 Gabriel moved to La Liga outfit Villarreal, signing a five-year deal with the club.[11] He made his debut in the competition on 10 November, starting in a 1–1 home draw against Atlético Madrid.[12]

Gabriel featured in 18 league matches during his first season abroad, sharing terms with Chechu Dorado, as the Yellow Submarine finished sixth and subsequently returned to a European competition. He made his UEFA Europa League debut on 21 August 2014, starting in a 3–0 away win against FC Astana.[13]

Profiting from Mateo Musacchio's injury, Gabriel also overtook Dorado and was made a starter in 2014–15. He formed a strong partnership with new signing Víctor Ruiz, with his side conceding only 17 goals in the 19 league matches in which he appeared.

Arsenal

On 26 January 2015, Gabriel was granted a work permit by the UK government and expected to join Arsenal for a fee of around £11.3 million.[14] He signed for the club two days later, with Joel Campbell moving the other way on loan.[15] Manager Arsène Wenger stated that despite the player's fitness, Gabriel could make errors in his first matches due to not being able to speak English.[16]

Gabriel made his debut for Arsenal on 15 February, playing the entirety of a 2–0 home win over Middlesbrough in the fifth round of the FA Cup.[17] He made his Premier League debut six days later, coming on for Alexis Sánchez in the final minute of a 2–1 win away to Crystal Palace.[18]

Gabriel made his first full start in the Premier League in Arsenal's 2–0 home win over Everton on 1 March. His performance was praised by Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy: despite a shaky start to the game, Gabriel executed a perfect sliding tackle on the goal-bound Romelu Lukaku, cleanly winning the ball and creating an Arsenal counter-attack.[19] He was an unused substitute on 30 May, as Arsenal won the FA Cup Final 4–0 against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium.[20]

On 19 September 2015, Gabriel was sent off at Chelsea for a tussle with Diego Costa; Santi Cazorla was later dismissed as nine-man Arsenal lost 2–0.[21] Gabriel initially received a standard three-match suspension for violent conduct after receiving a direct red card, but the decision was later withdrawn after a "wrongful dismissal claim";[22] he was however banned for one match and fined £10,000 for improper conduct by not leaving the pitch immediately.[23]

On 28 December 2015, Gabriel scored his first goal in European football, heading in Mesut Özil's corner kick to open a 2–0 win against Bournemouth; the result put the Gunners to the top of the Premier League.[24]

International career

On 20 March 2015, Gabriel was called up to the Brazil national football team for the first time, replacing the injured David Luiz for friendly matches against France and Chile.[25] However, he did not feature in either match.

Honours

Club

Vitória
Arsenal

Individual

Career statistics

As of 7 February 2016[26]
Club Season Division League Cup League Cup Continental[lower-roman 1] Others[lower-roman 2] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Vitória 2010 Série A 11020—8010220
2011 Série B 17000—00100270
2012 35050—00174574
2013 Série A 14130—00182353
Total 771100—804661417
Villarreal 2013–14 La Liga 18030—0000210
2014–15 19020—8000290
Total 37050—8000500
Arsenal 2014–15 Premier League 602000000080
2015–16 11120003000161
Career total 1302190001904662158
  1. ↑ Including Copa Sudamericana and UEFA Europa League.
  2. ↑ Including Campeonato Baiano and Copa do Nordeste.

References

  1. ↑ "Player shirt numbers for 20 Barclays Premier League clubs released". Premier League. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Premier League Player Profile Gabriel Paulista". Barclays Premier League. 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Dispensado pelo Santos, zagueiro vira xerife na Espanha e alvo da cobiça de Barça e Arsenal (Released by Santos, stopper becomes a sheriff in Spain and is a target for Barça and Arsenal); ESPN Brasil, 15 January 2015 (Portuguese)
  4. ↑ Vitória 3 x 1 Camaçari: Campeonato Baiano 2012 (Vitória 3–1 Camaçari: 2012 Campeonato Baiano); Futebol Bahiano, 14 February 2012 (Portuguese)
  5. ↑ No 'Alagadão', Fla cede o empate ao Vitória no fim da partida: 1 a 1 (In 'Alagadão', Fla gives draw to Vitória in the end: 1–1); Globo Esporte, 15 May 2010 (Portuguese)
  6. ↑ "Atlético-GO segura empate no Barradão e rebaixa Vitória" [Atlético-GO secure a draw at the Barradão and send Vitória down] (in Portuguese). Terra. 5 December 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Vitória renova contrato de Gabriel Paulista por mais dois anos (Vitória renews Gabriel Paulista's contract for two further years); Globo Esporte, 6 September 2012 (Portuguese)
  8. ↑ Vitória domina lista dos melhores do Baianão 2013 (Vitória dominates list of the bests of Baianão 2013); Globo Esporte, 21 May 2013 (Portuguese)
  9. ↑ "Vitória faz 7, volta a humilhar Bahia e se aproxima do título baiano" [Vitória get 7. humiliate Bahia again and get closer to the baiano title] (in Portuguese). Terra. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "Vitória abre 2 a 0, mas permite empate do Internacional" [Vitória open 2–0 up, but let Internacional draw] (in Portuguese). CGN. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  11. ↑ El Villarreal CF ficha al central Gabriel Paulista (Villarreal CF signs stopper Gabriel Paulista); Villarreal's official website, 15 August 2013 (Spanish)
  12. ↑ El Atlético saca provecho de su manual de supervivencia (Atlético takes advantage of their survival guide); Marca, 10 November 2013 (Spanish)
  13. ↑ El periscopio amarillo vislumbra Europa (The yellow periscope sees Europe); Marca, 21 August 2014 (Spanish)
  14. ↑ Gabriel Paulista granted work permit ahead of £11.3m Arsenal move; The Guardian, 26 January 2015
  15. ↑ "Arsenal sign Gabriel from Villarreal". Arsenal's official website. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "Arsene Wenger says Gabriel's lack of English could cost goals". BBC Sport. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  17. ↑ Jennings, Patrick (15 February 2015). "Arsenal 2-0 Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  18. ↑ Emons, Michael (21 February 2015). "Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  19. ↑ Sharp, Alex (2 March 2015). "Arsenal new recruits David Ospina and Gabriel Paulista continue to impress says Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy". Daily Mail. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  20. ↑ McNulty, Phil (30 May 2015). "Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  21. ↑ McNulty, Phil (19 September 2015). "Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal". Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  22. ↑ "Gabriel has wrongful dismissal claim upheld". The Football Association. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  23. ↑ "Gabriel: Arsenal defender given one-match ban and £10,000 fine". BBC Sport. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  24. ↑ "Arsenal vs Bournemouth match report: Gabriel and Mesut Ozil fire the Gunners to the top of the Premier League table". The Independent. 28 December 2015.
  25. ↑ Whaling, James (20 March 2015). "Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista called up to Brazil squad to replace David Luiz". Daily Mirror.
  26. ↑ Gabriel Paulista profile at Soccerway

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