November 08, (THEWILL) – Gabriel dos Santos Magalhaes’ excellent form at the heart of the Arsenal defence has earned him a call-up to the senior Brazil squad for the first time.
The centre back has made an impression with new Gunners recruit Benjamin White, and he scored Arsenal’s first goal in Mikel Arteta’s side’s 2-0 win over Leicester City in October.
Gabriel made his Selecao debut on November 11 against Colombia, followed by a match against arch rivals and Copa America champions Argentina on November 16.
Gabriel’s call-up makes him the second Arsenal player to earn an invitation to their national team squad. As THEWILL reported, Marcus Rashford pulled out of England’s 25-man squad for the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers to focus on full recovery, allowing Emile Smith Rowe to be invited to take his place.
Smith Rowe’s inclusion in the England starting XI was good news for the 21-year-old’s continued growth as it affords him the opportunity to add to what has been an impressive output at the club level with Arsenal.
After the Englishman scored yet again in the Gunners’ 10th unbeaten match, Arsenal fans were querying the wisdom behind leaving the sensational player, who had added goal-scoring to his cast of talents, out of the Three Lions’ squad.
He has not earned the chance to prove himself.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
