‘He’s talented’: Cedric Soares compares ‘fantastic’ Arsenal teammate to Cristiano Ronaldo

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Arsenal full-back Cedric Soares has paid teammate Gabrielle Martinelli the ultimate compliment by comparing the Brazilian to the great Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese international, who has started the Gunners’ last seven Premier League games, won the European Championships alongside the five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo in 2016.

Martinelli has also become a key part of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side and the Brazilian has made 15 top-flight starts this campaign.

The 20-year-old’s impressive performances at club level caught the attention of Brazil boss Tite and Arsenal’s number 35 made his Selecao debut in last month’s World Cup qualifiers, where he came off the bench against Chile and Bolivia.

The forward will no doubt be targeting a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad for the winter tournament in Qatar.

But Martinelli has impressed Soares and the former Southampton man can see similarities in the youngster’s appetite to attack the space and score goals to that of Manchester United’s number seven.

In an interview with the Evening Standard, the 30-year-old said: “Gabi has this aim for goal. He likes to attack the space, like Cristiano [Ronaldo].

“He likes to score goals, like everyone does.

“But Gabi has this willingness to fight. Even when he doesn’t play, he keeps working the same way.

He is an easy young kid to talk with. You talk and you can see he listens to you. He’s talented, but the way he works is fantastic.”

Martinelli, who has five goals to his name this season, has previously revealed that lining up opposite Ronaldo, who is one of his ‘idols’, was proof that he’d made it.

Arsenal’s young forward played in the 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford back in November, a game in which Ronaldo grabbed a brace.

“When I saw Ronaldo in the game against United I couldn’t really believe he was there,” the Brazilian teenager told Soccer Bible.

“I saw him and I was like, ‘wow this is Ronaldo.’ I’m a bit shy, so I didn’t say anything, just shook hands with him. But to play against my idols shows that I’ve got there.”