Portuguese footballer (born 1995)
Gelson Dany Batalha Martins (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʒɛlsɐ̃ mɐɾˈtĩʃ] ; born 11 May 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Super League Greece club Olympiacos .
He began his career at Sporting CP , appearing in 140 competitive matches and winning two trophies during his three-year tenure. In 2018, he signed with Atlético Madrid and, the following year, joined Monaco , initially on loan.[ 4]
A Portugal international since 2016, Martins was born in Cape Verde and represented the nation at the 2018 World Cup and the 2017 Confederations Cup .
Club career
Sporting CP
Born in Praia , Cape Verde , Martins moved to Portugal in his teens and played youth football with C.F. Benfica and Sporting CP . In March 2014, he was promoted to the B team of the latter and signed a contract lasting until 2019 and which included a release clause of €45 million.[ 5] During his youth spell, his goal against C.F. União de Coimbra earned the praise of many,[ 6] even though his coach at Sporting B had previously said that he was being "harmed" by not playing in his preferred position as winger.[ 7]
Martins made his professional debut on 24 August 2014, coming on as a late substitute for Lewis Enoh in a 1–0 away win against S.C. Olhanense in the Segunda Liga .[ 8] On 21 December, he scored his first goal in the competition, contributing to a 3–1 victory at Vitória S.C. B .[ 9]
In summer 2015, Martins was promoted to the main squad by new manager Jorge Jesus .[ 10] He made his competitive debut on 9 August, playing injury time in a 1–0 win over S.L. Benfica in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira .[ 11]
Martins first appeared in the Primeira Liga on 14 August 2015, playing one minute in a 2–1 defeat of newly promoted C.D. Tondela .[ 12] On 15 January of the following year, against the same opponent, he scored Sporting's 5,000th goal in the competition, putting the hosts ahead in an eventual 2–2 draw.[ 13]
On 11 June 2018, Martins requested that his contract with Sporting be terminated[ 14] following an incident in May in which a group of around 50 supporters invaded the club's training centre and assaulted several players and staff members.[ 15]
Atlético Madrid
On 18 July 2018, Martins accepted an offer from Atlético Madrid .[ 16] One week later, he was announced as a new player of the Spanish club after agreeing to a five-year deal on a free transfer .[ 17] Sporting made an official complaint to FIFA over the transfer demanding compensation of €100 million, the release clause of his cancelled contract,[ 18] and in May 2019 announced it had reached an agreement worth €22.5 million for the unlawful signing.[ 19]
Martins made his La Liga debut on 20 August 2018 in a 1–1 away draw with Valencia CF , where he played 18 minutes in place of Antoine Griezmann .[ 20] Two months later, in a 1–0 victory against amateurs UE Sant Andreu in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey , he scored his first goal.[ 21]
During his spell at the Metropolitano Stadium , Martins was sparingly played by coach Diego Simeone .[ 22] [ 23]
Monaco
On 27 January 2019, Martins joined AS Monaco FC on loan until the end of the season .[ 24] He made his first Ligue 1 appearance on 2 February, providing an assist for Aleksandr Golovin early in the first half and also being involved in Cesc Fàbregas ' goal in the 2–1 home victory over Toulouse FC .[ 25]
In July 2019, Martins joined Monaco outright after signing a five-year contract.[ 26] The following 1 February, at the 30-minute mark of an away fixture against Nîmes Olympique , he repeatedly pushed referee Mikael Lesage in retaliation for his teammate Tiémoué Bakayoko 's ejection seconds before, and was too sent off as his team eventually lost 3–1.[ 27] For his actions, he was issued a six-month suspension on 5 March.[ 28] [ 29]
Martins took part in no competitive games in the first half of the 2023–24 campaign .[ 30] [ 31]
Olympiacos
Martins moved to the Super League Greece with Olympiacos F.C. on 2 January 2024, agreeing to a deal until June 2026 for a reported fee of €3 million.[ 32] [ 33] [ 34]
International career
Martins was in the Portugal squad for the 2014 UEFA European Under-19 Championship , playing all the matches en route to a runner-up finish in Hungary.[ 35] He also represented the nation at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup , scoring in the group stage against Senegal [ 36] and in the round of 16 against hosts New Zealand [ 37] in an eventual quarter-final exit.[ 38]
In late September 2016, Martins got his first call up to the senior team , for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and the Faroe Islands .[ 39] He won his first cap against the former, replacing Pepe for the last 18 minutes of the 6–0 win in Aveiro .[ 40]
Martins was picked by manager Fernando Santos for his 2018 FIFA World Cup squad.[ 41] He made his debut in the competition on 20 June, playing roughly 30 minutes in the 1–0 group stage defeat of Morocco after replacing Bernardo Silva .[ 42]
Style of play
Mainly a winger on both flanks, Martins can also operate as a right-back , a trait which cemented his place in the junior national teams.[ 43]
Personal life
Martins' cousin, Euclides Cabral , is also a footballer.[ 44]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 24 November 2024 [ 45]
International
National team
Year
Apps
Goals
Portugal [ 46]
2016
3
0
2017
12
0
2018
6
0
Total
21
0
Honours
Sporting CP
Atlético Madrid
Portugal
Individual
References
^ "Acta del partido celebrado el 22 de diciembre de 2018, en Madrid" [Minutes of the match held on 22 December 2018, in Madrid] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation . 22 December 2018. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2019 .
^ "FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017: List of players: Portugal" (PDF) . FIFA. 20 March 2018. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2018 .
^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF) . FIFA. 10 June 2018. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018 .
^ "Monaco anuncia português Gelson Martins por empréstimo" [Monaco announce Portuguese Gelson Martins on loan] (in Portuguese). ESPN Brazil . January 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2023 .
^ "Gelson Martins renova com Sporting até 2019" [Gelson Martins renews with Sporting until 2019]. A Semana (in Portuguese). 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014 .
^ "Poker de Baldé em goleada tardia" [Baldé poker in late rout] (in Portuguese). Notícias do Futebol. 5 October 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014 .
^ "Gelson valoriza importância da Academia" [Gelson values importance of the academy] (in Portuguese). Notícias do Futebol. 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014 .
^ "Olhanense-Sporting B, 0–1: Dramé marca e acaba expulso" [Olhanense-Sporting B, 0–1: Dramé scores and ends up being sent off]. Record (in Portuguese). 24 August 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015 .
^ "V. Guimarães B-Sporting B, 1–3: Terceira vitória seguida para os leões" [V. Guimarães B-Sporting B, 1–3: Third win in a row for the lions]. Record (in Portuguese). 21 December 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015 .
^ Bernardino, António (26 July 2015). "Gelson: de extremo da equipa B ao onze... na Supertaça" [Gelson: from B-team winger to starting eleven... in Supercup]. Record (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015 .
^ a b Barros, Carlos José (9 August 2015). "Supertaça é do Sporting" [Supercup goes to Sporting] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal . Retrieved 27 August 2015 .
^ Ruela, João (14 August 2015). "Penálti no final salvou Sporting frente ao estreante Tondela" [Late penalty saved Sporting against newcomers Tondela]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 January 2016 .
^ Lima, Fábio (15 January 2016). "Gelson Martins apontou o golo 5000 dos leões na Liga" [Gelson Martins scored the lions' goal 5000 in League]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 January 2016 .
^ "William Carvalho, Gelson Martins and Bruno Fernandes ask to end Sporting Lisbon contracts" . Sky Sports . 12 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018 .
^ "Sporting Lisbon players and staff attacked by intruders at training ground" . The Guardian . 15 May 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018 .
^ García, Jorge (18 July 2018). "Atlético wait for an answer from FIFA on Gelson Martins" . Diario AS . Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018 .
^ "Gelson Martins se convierte en nuevo jugador del Atlético de Madrid" [Gelson Martins becomes the new player of Atlético de Madrid] (in Spanish). Atlético Madrid. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018 .
^ Candil, Jaime; García, Jorge (27 July 2018). "Sporting Club file complaint against Atlético in search of €100m for Martins" . Diario AS . Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2018 .
^ "Sporting recebe 22,5 milhões por Gelson Martins e paga 7,5 milhões por Vietto" [Sporting get 22,5 million for Gelson Martins and pay 7,5 million for Vietto]. Jornal de Negócios (in Portuguese). 14 May 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2023 .
^ "Valencia y Atlético de Madrid empatan en Mestalla" [Valencia and Atlético de Madrid draw in Mestalla] (in Spanish). Cadena COPE . 20 August 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2019 .
^ García, Amadeu (30 October 2018). "Un gol de Gelson solventa las dudas del Atlético ante un rival de Tercera" [Gelson goal clears Atlético's doubts against opponent from Tercera ]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 January 2019 .
^ Fernandes, Mariana (20 September 2018). "Gelson Martins: os 33 minutos que ainda não convenceram Simeone" [Gelson Martins: the 33 minutes that have not convinced Simeone yet]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 January 2019 .
^ Varela, Javier (10 January 2019). "El rompecabezas en el que no piensa Simeone" [The puzzle not on Simeone's mind]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 January 2019 .
^ "Gelson Martins cedido al Mónaco" [Gelson Martins loaned to Mónaco]. Sport (in Spanish). 27 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019 .
^ Docteur, Jérémy (2 February 2019). "Ligue 1: Premier but pour Cesc Fabregas, première victoire à domicile pour Monaco face à Toulouse" [Ligue 1: First goal for Cesc Fabregas, first home win for Monaco against Toulouse] (in French). France Football . Retrieved 4 February 2019 .
^ "Gelson Martins (Atlético Madrid) à Monaco jusqu'en 2024 (officiel)" [Gelson Martins (Atlético Madrid) to Monaco until 2024 (official)] (in French). Mercato 365. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019 .
^ "Ligue 1: deux expulsions pour Monaco à Nîmes, Bakayoko et Gelson Martins voient rouge" [Ligue 1: two ejections for Monaco at Nîmes, Bakayoko and Gelson Martins see red]. L'Équipe (in French). 1 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020 .
^ "Monaco's Gelson Martins suspended 6 months for referee shove" . The Washington Post . 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020 .[dead link ]
^ "Monaco: Gelson Martins suspendu six mois pour avoir bousculé un arbitre" [Monaco: Gelson Martins suspended six months for pushing a referee] (in French). RMC . 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020 .
^ Lopes, João (5 November 2023). "10 jogos e 0 minutos: Gelson Martins ainda não jogou esta época na Ligue 1" [10 matches and 0 minutes: Gelson Martins still has not played this season in Ligue 1]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 1 January 2024 .
^ Denis, Sebastien (15 November 2023). "Monaco: que devient Gelson Martins?" [Monaco: what happened to Gelson Martins?] (in French). Foot Mercato. Retrieved 1 January 2024 .
^ "Mercato: Gelson Martins relance sa carrière en Grèce" [Market: Gelson Martins relaunches his career in Greece]. Le Figaro (in French). 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024 .
^ "Ο Ζέλσον Μαρτίνς στον Ολυμπιακό" [Gelson Martins at Olympiacos] (in Greek). Olympiacos F.C. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024 .
^ "Gelson Martins deixa o Mónaco e ruma à Grécia para representar o Olympiacos" [Gelson Martins leaves Monaco and heads to Greece to represent Olympiacos] (in Portuguese). SIC Notícias . 2 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024 .
^ Pereira, Paulo Jorge (1 August 2014). "Ser jogador não é tudo para os vice-campeões europeus Sub-19" [Being a player is not all to Under-19 European runners-up]. Diário Económico (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014 .
^ "Dominant Portugal defeat Senegal" . FIFA. 31 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2 June 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015 .
^ "Portugal break hosts' hearts" . FIFA. 11 June 2015. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015 .
^ "Brazil through as profligate Portugal pay the penalty" . FIFA. 14 June 2015. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015 .
^ "Gelson Martins convocado por Fernando Santos" [Gelson Martins called by Fernando Santos] (in Portuguese). SAPO . 29 September 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016 .
^ "Portugal 6–0 Andorra" . BBC Sport . 7 October 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2020 .
^ "Nearly half Portugal's Euro squad to miss World Cup" . Special Broadcasting Service . 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018 .
^ "Ronaldo scores in Portugal's 1–0 win, Morocco eliminated" . The New York Times . 20 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018 .
^ "Gelson surpreende em todos os aspectos" [Gelson surprises in every aspect] (in Portuguese). Notícias do Futebol. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014 .
^ "Euclides, o primo... de Gelson" [Euclides, the cousin... of Gelson]. Record (in Portuguese). 31 October 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2019 .
^ "Gelson Martins" . Soccerway . Retrieved 30 September 2016 .
^ "Gelson Martins" . EU-Football.info . Retrieved 20 June 2018 .
^ "Sporting atropela União da Madeira e vence por 6–0" [Sporting run União da Madeira over and win by 6–0] (in Portuguese). TSF . 20 December 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2019 .
^ "Vitória de Setúbal – Sporting, Final da Taça da Liga" [Vitória de Setúbal – Sporting, League Cup Final] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2019 .
^ Sanders, Emma (15 August 2018). "Real Madrid 2–4 Atlético Madrid" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2018 .
^ " "Portugal fez uma prova excelente", diz Fernando Santos" ["Portugal had an excellent tournament", Fernando Santos says] (in Portuguese). TSF. 2 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017 .
^ "Team of the Tournament" . UEFA. Retrieved 8 February 2019 .
^ "SJPF revela os melhores 11 de 2016" [SPFP discloses best 11 of 2016] (in Portuguese). SJPF. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2020 .
^ "Sindicato revela os melhores 11 de 2017" [Union discloses best 11 of 2017] (in Portuguese). SJPF. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2020 .
^ "UEFA Europa League Squad of the 2017/18 Season" . UEFA. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018 .
External links