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Clarification - Did Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli come from Brazilian 4th tier?
Short answer: No, he did not.
Long answer: His team did play Brazilian 4th tier when he was sold, but he did not. How is that possible? We need to understand a bit of how Brazilian football works:
Short answer: No, he did not.
Long answer: His team did play Brazilian 4th tier when he was sold, but he did not. How is that possible? We need to understand a bit of how Brazilian football works:
Unlike European seasons, Brazilian football season starts in January and ends in December.
However, from January to April Brazilian League is not played, instead in this period all clubs play regional leagues, specifically the league of the State in which they are located. +
However, from January to April Brazilian League is not played, instead in this period all clubs play regional leagues, specifically the league of the State in which they are located. +
Out of 27 different State leagues in Brazil, the strongest one is the São Paulo State League(aka Paulistão or Paulista).
One interesting fact about this league is that its level of play is very high, definitely higher than Brazilian League 3rd and 4th tiers. Because of this, +
One interesting fact about this league is that its level of play is very high, definitely higher than Brazilian League 3rd and 4th tiers. Because of this, +
small clubs playing the São Paulo State League hire high-level players only for the State League period
When the State league ends (in April) all of these small clubs rebuild almost their entire squads with lower-level players in order to play Brazilian 4th tier, for example.+
When the State league ends (in April) all of these small clubs rebuild almost their entire squads with lower-level players in order to play Brazilian 4th tier, for example.+
This is Gabriel Martinelli's case.
He went under spotlight when he played for Ituano( @ituanooficial), a small club in the São Paulo State League, a league whose level of play is often comparable to Brazilian 1st and 2nd tiers, definitely higher than 4th tier. +
He went under spotlight when he played for Ituano( @ituanooficial), a small club in the São Paulo State League, a league whose level of play is often comparable to Brazilian 1st and 2nd tiers, definitely higher than 4th tier. +
Despite playing for a small team, in this State League he had the chance to play against 4 of the strongest clubs in all of the Americas( @Corinthians, @SantosFC, @SaoPauloFC & @Palmeiras), still he managed to win the "Best Young Player" award in this State League in 2019. +
He never played a single match in Brazilian 4th tier.
Summing it up:
Martinelli wasn't a random player in a small club.
He had already played for Brazil U-18 National Team and had already proven himself with solid performances against some of the strongest teams in Brazil.+
Summing it up:
Martinelli wasn't a random player in a small club.
He had already played for Brazil U-18 National Team and had already proven himself with solid performances against some of the strongest teams in Brazil.+
Check this thread for more information on Brazilian football: https://twitter.com/TheCampeao/status/1299471380321316869
Worth the mention - Some of the players who have played in this same São Paulo State League in the last 10-15 years:
Neymar, Ronaldo, Kaká, Rivaldo, Gabriel Jesus, Daniel Alves, William, Felipe Melo, Hernanes, Alexandre Pato, Casemiro, Juanfran, Rodrygo, Gabigol, Marquinhos, etc
Neymar, Ronaldo, Kaká, Rivaldo, Gabriel Jesus, Daniel Alves, William, Felipe Melo, Hernanes, Alexandre Pato, Casemiro, Juanfran, Rodrygo, Gabigol, Marquinhos, etc
