 Gabriel withLille in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-12-19)19 December 1997 (age 27)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | São Paulo, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Arsenal | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2016 | Avaí | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Avaí | 34 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | Lille II | 7 | (0) |
| 2017–2020 | Lille | 39 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | →Troyes (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2018 | →Dinamo Zagreb (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2020– | Arsenal | 171 | (18) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Brazil U20 | 7 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Brazil U23 | 4 | (0) |
| 2023– | Brazil | 17 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:51, 8 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19:28, 15 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães (Portuguese pronunciation:[ɡabɾiˈɛwdusˈsɐ̃tuzmaɡaˈʎɐ̃js];[3] born 19 December 1997), also simply known asGabriel, is a Brazilian professionalfootballer who plays ascentre-back forPremier League clubArsenal and theBrazil national team. Known for his strength, aggression, tackling and aerial threat, he is regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the world.[4][5][6][7]
Gabriel began his senior club career atAvaí, having graduated from the club's youth academy in 2016. After Avaí achieved promotion to theCampeonato Brasileiro Série A the same year, he departed for French sideLille. Gabriel was loaned out toTroyes andDinamo Zagreb before returning to Lille. In 2020, he signed forArsenal in a deal worth £27m.[8][9]
Gabriel made his international debut for Brazil in 2023.[10] He scored his first international goal during2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[11]
Gabriel Magalhães was born in thePirituba District ofSão Paulo.[12] At age 13, Gabriel began his career atAvaí but returned to São Paulo after a week due to homesickness. However, he reconsidered his decision and returned to Avaí after two weeks, eventually going on to earn his first professional contract at age 16.[13] He went on to be part of the team that won promotion toBrasileiro Série A in 2017.[12]
On 31 January 2017, Gabriel joinedLigue 1 sideLille, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract.[14] Upon arriving in Lille, he taught himself French and went on to conduct most of his interviews in the language.[12] After playing several matches for Lille II, he was loaned to fellowLigue 1 sideTroyes,[15] before joining Croatian sideDinamo Zagreb, where he made just one league appearance for each club's senior team.[16]
Gabriel returned to Lille in 2018,[8] starting his first match on 10 February 2019 against relegation-threatenedGuingamp in a 2–0 win. He went on to make 14 appearances over the course of the season, scoring his first goal for Lille in a 5–1 win againstParis Saint-Germain on 14 April 2019.[17]
The following season, Gabriel began to play more regularly, forming a centre-back partnership withJosé Fonte. Gabriel was a starter in all six of Lille'sChampions League group stage matches.[18] On 31 January 2020, he extended his contract with Lille until 2023.[19]
Lille managerChristophe Galtier spoke about the defender's patience, saying "I saw he had great potential and he was able to seize the first opportunity he got. He was hungry to play, and while he bided his time, he worked a lot. He's an example for other youngsters to follow. It's a sort of intelligence to behave like that. How often nowadays do you see players not working if they're not in the squad?"[20]
On 1 September 2020, Arsenal announced the signing of Gabriel Magalhães on a long-term contract.[21][22] Interest in the Brazilian was reportedly high, with multiple clubs willing to match the valuation set by Lille.[23][24] Gabriel joined for a fee reaching the region of £27m after add-ons.[9][25]
On 12 September, the opening day of theseason, Gabriel made his debut for Arsenal, scoring the second goal in a 3–0 win againstFulham atCraven Cottage.[26] Following his performance in Arsenal's 2–1 win againstWest Ham United on 19 September 2020, Gabriel was awarded Arsenal's player of the month award for September.[27] He won the award again in October after featuring in five of Arsenal's six games in the month.[28] Arsenal managerMikel Arteta spoke highly of Gabriel's early performances, saying "you move him from France to here at an early age, without talking the language, to adapt to a new way of playing as well... [but] he has done it really quickly and is showing a great mentality as well."[29]
Despite Arsenal's poor form in late 2020, Gabriel was awarded his third player of the month award in December after his performances in Arsenal's 1–0 win againstManchester United on 1 November and their 0–0 draw againstLeeds United on 22 November.[30] On 29 November, Gabriel scored his first goal at theEmirates during Arsenal's 2–1 defeat toWolverhampton Wanderers.[31] Gabriel received his first red card for Arsenal on 16 December in a home game againstSouthampton, after being given two yellow cards in the space of five minutes for fouls onChé Adams andTheo Walcott.[32]
Gabriel played in all but three of Arsenal'sPremier League games.[33] He scored his first goal of the season in a 2–0 win againstLeicester City at theKing Power Stadium on 30 October 2021.[34]
He scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal beat Wolverhampton Wanderers atMolineux on 10 February,[35] and also got the winning goal against West Ham in a 2–1 win at theLondon Stadium on 1 May.[36] Gabriel finished the season with five Premier League goals.[37]
Gabriel scored the winning goal against Fulham in thePremier League on 27 August 2022. He had made a mistake that allowedAleksandar Mitrović to open the scoring, but his goal in the 86th minute gave Arsenal all three points in a 2–1 win.[38][39] His partnership withWilliam Saliba was a cornerstone of the Gunners' success throughout the season. On 21 October 2022, Arsenal announced that Gabriel had signed a new long-term contract with the club.[40][41] He scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal beatChelsea atStamford Bridge in November.[42]
On 12 March 2023, he scored against Fulham again, heading in Arsenal's first goal in their 3–0 win at Craven Cottage. This was his third goal in four games against theCottagers.[43][44]
On 17 September 2023, Gabriel made his 100th Premier League appearance in Arsenal's win againstEverton atGoodison Park.[45][46] He scored his first goal of the2023–24 season in a 1–1 draw withLiverpool atAnfield.[47]
Gabriel scored the first two goals in Arsenal's 5–0 win againstCrystal Palace on 20 January 2024. The second goal had initially been credited as anown goal by Palace goalkeeperDean Henderson. Arsenal appealed the decision, and the Premier League's Goal Accreditation Appeals Panel subsequently awarded the goal to Gabriel. It was his first brace for the club.[48][49]
He made his 150th Arsenal appearance on 11 February, scoring the third goal against West Ham in a 6–0 win at the London Stadium.[50][51]
On 15 September 2024, Gabriel headed in a 64th minute corner in theNorth London derby, sealing a 1–0 away win for Arsenal.[52]
The following week, Gabriel scored the second goal of two for Arsenal during a 2–2 away draw atManchester City.[53] In this game he was involved in a two-team altercation afterJohn Stones scored a 98th minute equalizer which sparked rivalry between the two teams; especially between himself andErling Haaland. He continued this style of goalscoring, netting headers in consecutive away matches againstSporting C.P. andWest Ham in November.[54][55]
In April 2025, Gabriel suffered a hamstring injury during a 2–1 win against Fulham, which would sideline him for the remainder of the season.[56] On 6 June, Gabriel signed a new long-term deal with Arsenal.[57]
On 29 September 2025, Gabriel scored in the 96th minute againstNewcastle United, confirming a 1–2 away victory for Arsenal.[58]
Gabriel represented Brazil atunder-20 level at the2017 South American U-20 Championship.[59][12] On 14 November 2020, he made his international debut withBrazil's under-23 national team in a 3–1 victory againstSouth Korea's under-23s in an international friendly.[60][61] On 17 June 2021, he was named in the squad for the2020 Summer Olympics, but was forced to withdraw with a knee injury on 6 July.[62][63]
In August 2023, Gabriel received his first call-up to theBrazil senior national team by interim head coachFernando Diniz, for two2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches againstBolivia andPeru.[64][65] On 9 September 2023, Gabriel debuted in a 5–1 win againstBolivia during the same tournament, where he was later substituted off forRoger Ibañez in the 84th minute due to injury concerns.[66]
Gabriel can play as part of a back three and is known for his partnership withWilliam Saliba.[20] Despite his height, Gabriel is known for being fast.Christophe Galtier spoke about Gabriel, saying "He has a lot of character for a 22-year-old boy. Despite his 190cm height, he is super fast and covers his side well. He is the player who has won the most aerial duels in the first part of the season."[67] Gabriel is also known for his distribution ability, generally looking to play the ball forward or to the left-back. In the 2019–20 season, Gabriel completed the most passes into the opposition half in all of Ligue 1.[68] According to his Lille teammate and mentorJosé Fonte, Gabriel "has to keep defending well by being aggressive, being well positioned, and not taking risks."[20] Furthermore, Gabriel is renowned for his aerial threat, and henceforth is known to pose a goal threat from set pieces.[4]
In September 2021, Gabriel announced his engagement to his partner Gabrielle Figueiredo,[69] and the couple got married in June 2023. Their daughter was born in March 2022, who they named Maya.[70] Magalhães is also cousin of the professional footballerDenner.[71]
| Club | Season | League | State league[a] | National cup[b] | League cup[c] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Avaí | 2016 | Série B | 21 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 1[d] | 0 | 39 | 2 | ||
| Lille | 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 14 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 24 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6[e] | 0 | — | 34 | 1 | |||
| Total | 39 | 2 | — | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 52 | 2 | ||||
| Troyes (loan) | 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Dinamo Zagreb (loan) | 2017–18 | Prva HNL | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Arsenal | 2020–21[33] | Premier League | 23 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6[f] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 3 | |
| 2021–22[73] | Premier League | 35 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 5 | ||||
| 2022–23[74] | Premier League | 38 | 3 | — | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7[f] | 0 | — | 48 | 3 | |||
| 2023–24[75] | Premier League | 36 | 4 | — | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10[e] | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 50 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25[76] | Premier League | 28 | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9[e] | 1 | — | 42 | 5 | |||
| 2025–26[77] | Premier League | 11 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[e] | 1 | — | 17 | 2 | |||
| Total | 171 | 18 | — | 5 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 227 | 22 | |||
| Career total | 233 | 21 | 13 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 42 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 323 | 26 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | |||
| 2023 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 17 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 October 2023 | Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá, Brazil | 3 |  Venezuela | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | [79] |
Dinamo Zagreb
Arsenal
Individual
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