Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes backtracks after immediate response to latest cruel snub
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes has yet to be called up for the Brazil national team, although his performances have propelled the Gunners to the top of the Premier League
Gabriel Magalhaes appeared to confirm his disappointment after missing out on Brazil’s latest squad.
The centre-back has been in superb form for Arsenal, building a rock-solid partnership with William Saliba. In 25 games, the Premier League leaders have conceded just 23 goals, with the two centre-backs earning plenty of praise.
However, those performances weren’t enough to convince Brazil coach Ramon Menezes, who dropped him from his first Selecao squad. Menezes replaced Tite earlier this year after the latter failed to lead the five-time winner into the latter stages of the World Cup.
Gabriel was also left late in the squad in Qatar but was expected to be included for the forthcoming friendly against Morocco. But on Friday it was confirmed that the 25-year-old was left out again, with PSG captain Maquinhos, Zenit’s Robert Renan and Real Madrid’s Eder Militao being favoured.
In a now-deleted Twitter post, published shortly after the team’s sacking, Gabriel teased his anger with a message that read “New job,” along with a winking emoji and a basketball. Although he didn’t clarify the meaning of the short post, it seemed to imply that he should try his luck in another sport.
The Gunners star, who is still not capped at the senior team, traveled to Qatar last winter just to be one of Tite’s late cuts. “I was definitely sad. It’s normal for an athlete, even more so when he was in the group and then missed the last call,” he told ESPN Brasil.
“I had my family close by and at Arsenal everyone spoke to me. I have a strong mind and am a family man. I was able to digest that well, it’s part of football.
“I will keep working and I know there are other World Cups ahead of me. I will work to be there.” But while his promise continues to go unnoticed at international level, Arsenal acted quickly to ensure his long-term future remains in north London. The ex-Lille star signed a new deal in October last year that will keep him at the club until 2027.
“I think when we look at a centre-back we look at partnerships,” Arteta said after signing the contract. “I think Gabi made William Saliba a better player and I think Willy helps him be the same.
“A successful team has to have backbone, play at a really high level and keep clean sheets. We do that a lot.”
Apart from Gabriel, there are many Premier League representatives in the Brazil squad. Manchester City’s Ederson will play Alisson, while Tottenham and Nottingham Forest’s Emerson Royal and Renan Lodi have both been selected.
In midfield, Wolves’ Joao Gomes has earned his first cap, where he can learn from Manchester United’s talisman Casemiro. West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta has also made it, while United star Antony and Spurs’ Richarlison are there, although both have suffered from patchy form since their respective summer moves.