Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli has claimed that one of his current teammates deserved to win the Ballon d’Or a few years ago.
Mikel Arteta has built a tremendous side at the Emirates. We have so many players who are among the best in the Premier League in their position, and that’s why we are on top of the table right now.
Martinelli is a player with immense potential, as are the likes of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, William Saliba and Ben White. All of them are just incredible.
However, Martinelli believes one of his other Arsenal teammates should’ve already won the Ballon d’Or by now.
Gabriel Martinelli names the Arsenal teammate who should’ve won the Ballon d’Or
Winning the Ballon d’Or has to be a dream of every footballer on the planet.
Being recognised by everyone as the best in the world would be an incredible achievement, but very few players actually get to find out what this feels like.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the last 15 years, and unfortunately, no player has even come close to winning the award in that period while playing for Arsenal.
One current Arsenal player, however, finished third in 2021 – Jorginho. Messi won the accolade that year and Robert Lewandowski finished second
In an episode of UnClassic Commentary on Arsenal’s social channels, the Italian and Gabriel Martinelli rewatched the best bits from our win against Liverpool last month.
While admiring Jorginho’s performance, Martinelli claimed the midfielder should’ve won the Ballon d’Or ahead of Messi in 2021.
“This here is one of Jorginho’s strengths, I can’t even find the words to describe it, Martinelli said.
“I think he deserved to win the Ballon d’Or a while ago.”
Three Arsenal players who could win the Ballon d’Or one day
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both in the twilight of their careers and considering neither of them are in Europe anymore, it’s unlikely they will win the Ballon d’Or again.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland are the favourites to dominate this generation, but there are a few Arsenal stars who could challenge the above players in the coming years.
Bukayo Saka is obviously a contender. The Englishman is already one of the best players in the Premier League and Europe, and if he continues his progression and wins the big trophies, he will be in the conversation for the Ballon d’Or.
Another player who we think has a chance is Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian hasn’t had a great season this time around, but if Arsenal start playing more to his strengths, he will become one of the most dangerous players in the world.
The last Arsenal player who we think could be in the conversation one day is Declan Rice. What a signing he has been for us this season!
The Englishman rarely ever has a bad game for club and country, and if he can pick up a few big trophies along the way, there’s no reason why he can’t be a contender.