£27m Arsenal defender was absolutely incredible for his country in 1-0 win

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A handful of Arsenal stars are out representing their countries during the ongoing international break.

Martin Odegaard was impressive for Norway against Kazakhstan, while Riccardo Calafiori featured for Italy in their 3-1 win against France at the Parc des Princes.

There were rumours that Arsenal’s summer signing was substituted by Italy due to an injury but those fears were quickly put to bed when Calafiori appeared to confirm on his Instagram that he managed to come out of the game unscathed.

On the other hand, William Saliba didn’t cover himself in too much glory for France as he emerged on the losing side after a sub-par display by his standards.

His central defensive partner at Arsenal, Gabriel Magalhaes, however, was one of the best players on the pitch for Brazil.

Gabriel Magalhaes steals the show for Brazil

Brazil played out a 1-0 win against Ecuador with Real Madrid attacker Rodrygo scoring the solitary goal of the game.

However, it was Gabriel who emerged as one of Brazil’s best performers as he started alongside Marquinhos in defense.

The 26-year-old made one clearance off the line, blocked two shots and made one successful tackle as he finished the game without allowing a single opposition player to dribble past him.

Gabriel also had 101 touches of the ball and completed 90% of his passes (85/94) as he capped off a dominant performance at the back with a clean sheet.

He received a Sofascore rating of 7.7, with only Rodrygo (8.1) and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Andre Trindade (also 7.7) able to better or match that rating.

How has Gabriel fared for Arsenal this season?

Signed for a £27m fee in 2020, the Brazilian has been one of Arsenal’s most consistent players over the past couple of seasons and has begun the 2024-25 campaign in fine form.

Gabriel has played every minute of the Premier League season so far and helped Arsenal to successive clean sheets against Wolves and Aston Villa.

However, the Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion and will look to return to winning ways when they face Tottenham Hotspur after the international break.

Before that, Brazil take on Paraguay in another important 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier and Gabriel will look to spearhead his side to victory with another commanding performance.

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