“Arsenal is an amazing club and I’m so proud to sign a new contract. I love this club, I love the supporters, my teammates, I love this stadium. I’m so proud and thank you for all the support. We continue together for the future.”
With those words, Arsenal’s dean of defence, Gabriel Magalhaes signed a new long-term contract with the North London Club.
“I arrived here as a young player and after almost five years I’m so happy and I’ve learned a lot. I’m so proud of myself, it’s an amazing journey, and I’m so happy to continue it. I hope I win some trophies with this club, because I love this club and my family loves the club, too,” the dependable defender also said.
Arsenal signed the 27-year-old defender from Ligue 1 side, Lille, in September 2020; despite instances of injuries, he has made 210 appearances in all competitions and sealed his place as a key member of the Club’s defensive unit.
The Brazilian player also performed beyond expectations by adding crucial goals scoring a total of 20 goals thus far and putting his name on record for scoring more Premier League goals than any other defender since joining Arsenal.
After just over two years in England, Gabi signed a new contract extension, marking his importance as an integral part of the squad. His consistent performances earned him a place in the 2023/24 PFA Team of the Year, a season that started with silverware as he won the Community Shield at Wembley following a penalty shootout victory against Manchester City.
Gabriel has been a mainstay of a defence which has conceded the fewest goals in the last two Premier League seasons. In addition to his huge defensive strength, Gabi’s natural ability in finding the net has brought joy to us on many occasions, with his winner away to Tottenham Hotspur in September 2024 a particular highlight.
According to the Club, Gabriel started his career with Avai in Santa Catarina in Brazil before making the move to France in January 2017, when he signed for Lille.
He had some loan spell at Troyes in Ligue 1 and Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb, where he won the domestic double in the 2017/18 campaign.
On the international stage, he has featured 14 times for Brazil since his first call up in November 2021 scoring his first goal in a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela in October 2023.
