Published: April 4, 2022 12:58 pm
Last Updated: April 4, 2022 1:32 pm
Arsenal defender Cedric Soares has issued some incredibly high praise for young star Gabriel Martinelli, comparing him to iconic forward Cristiano Ronaldo in his latest comments.
Cedric has been in close proximity to both of them, having played alongside fellow Portuguese star Ronaldo for the majority of his 34 international caps. Meanwhile, he of course trains with the Arsenal forward on a daily basis.
And, the 30 year old has suggested that both his style of play and his work-rate off the pitch stands Martinelli in good stead when compared to the now Manchester United forward.
Gabriel Martinelli celebrates scoing the 1st Arsenal goal during the UEFA Europa League group F match between Arsenal FC and Standard Liege at Emirates Stadium on October 03, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
‘Gabi has this aim for a goal. He likes to attack the space, like Cristiano [Ronaldo]Cedric revealed. ‘He likes to score goals, like everyone does.’
High praise alone, but the full-back continued to compliment the work rate of his club-mate, revealing that whether in or out of the side, his work ethic remains unchanged.
‘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.’
Latest in long line of plaudits
Cedric is the latest in a long line of professionals around the game that have lavished high praise upon the Brazilian winger. Over the international break, legendary Brazilian defender Dani Alves took to Instagram to compare the forward to the original Ronaldo, describing him as ‘el phenomeno’, the nickname coined by one of Brazil’s greatest players ever.
Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has repeatedly singled the Brazilian out for praise, calling him the talent of the century in a 2019 interview.
With five goals and three assists to his name in the top-flight this season, Arsenal will be hoping that the prodigy can find another gear as they look to nail down a top 4 spot come the end of the season.
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This article was edited by
Josh Barker.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 30 | 52 | 73 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 30 | 57 | 72 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 29 | 35 | 59 |
| 4 | Arsenal FC | 28 | 13 | 54 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 29 | 11 | 51 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 30 | 8 | 51 |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 31 | 6 | 49 |
| 8 | West Ham United | 30 | 10 | 48 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 28 | -4 | 37 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 30 | 0 | 36 |
| 11 | Southampton FC | 30 | -9 | 36 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 29 | 1 | 34 |
| 13 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 30 | -10 | 34 |
| 14 | Brentford FC | 31 | -11 | 33 |
| 15th | Newcastle United | 29 | -17 | 31 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 31 | -33 | 30 |
| 17 | Everton FC | 27 | -18 | 25 |
| 18 | Watford FC | 30 | -28 | 22 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 28 | -18 | 21 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 30 | -45 | 18 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 20 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 14 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 14 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 12 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Tony, Ivan | Brentford FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 10 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 9 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 9 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 9 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Rafinha | Leeds United | 9 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 9 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 8 |
| Antonio, Michael | West Ham United | 8 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 8 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 8 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 8 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United | 0 | 7 |
| Romero, Christian | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 8 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 7 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 6 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 11 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 8 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 7 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
| Antonio, Michael | West Ham United | 6 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 6 |
| James, Rece | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 6 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 6 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 5 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 5 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 5 |