Club career
Resende
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Gabriel Pires and his older brother Guilherme started each of their careers at Resende Futebol Clube; Gabriel signed his first contract on 23 July 2010.[1] He played his first senior season with the club during the 2011 Campeonato Carioca, the regional league in the state of Rio.[2]
Juventus and loans
In April 2011, Italian newspaper, Tuttosport reported that Juventus Football Club signed both Gabriel and Guilherme,[3][4] however due to bureatic reasons, Gabriel couldn't move to Italy until after his 18th birthday. In January 2012 Gabriel officially signed with the Italian club for a fee of €2 million, though the deal had virtually been complete since 21 April 2011.[5] After joining the Italian side, Gabriel joined the club's youth academy[6] and played the remaining half-season for Juventus' reserve during the 2011–12 season.[7]
On 30 August 2012, Gabriel Pires was sent on a season-long loan deal to Serie B newcomer Pro Vercelli, another Piedmont-based team,[8] along with Juventus teammate, Alberto Masi. Gabriel made his Serie B debut on 9 September 2012 as a 61st-minute substitute in a 1–2 home loss against Livorno. He made his first start on 15 September against Sassuolo and went on to start the next ten league matches prior to suffering a major injury on 10 November 2012 in a home match against Modena. After four months on the sidelines, Gabriel returned to Pro Vercelli's starting lineup on 2 March 2013 in a 1–1 away draw at Juve Stabia. He remained in the club's starting lineup for the remainder of the campaign, making 25 league appearances and scoring 1 league goal.
Gabriel Pires returned to Juventus on 30 June 2013 and two months later, he was sent out on another season-long loan deal to Serie B side Spezia on 26 August 2013.[9] He made 19 league appearances for the club.
On 23 July 2014, Appelt signed with Serie B side Pescara on a season-long loan deal along with teammate Vincenzo Fiorillo.[10] He appeared in 17 matches for the club, scoring once.
Leganés
On 4 August 2015, Gabriel Pires was loaned to Spanish Segunda División side CD Leganés, in a season-long deal.[11] He made his debut for the club on 6 September, coming on as a late substitute for Lluís Sastre in a 1–1 home draw against Real Zaragoza.
Gabriel Pires scored his first goal for Lega on 17 October 2015, netting his team's second in a 2–2 draw against Girona FC. He contributed with 37 appearances and seven goals during the campaign, as his side achieved promotion to La Liga for the first time ever.
On 17 June 2016, Gabriel Pires signed a permanent three-year deal with the Madrid side, who activated his buyout clause for €1 million fee.[12][13] He made his debut in the main category of Spanish football on 22 August 2016, starting in a 1–0 away win against Celta de Vigo.[14]
Gabriel Pires scored his first goal in the top tier on 17 September 2016, but in a 1–5 home loss against FC Barcelona.[15] The following 8 August, he renewed his contract until 2021.[16]
Benfica
On 27 August 2018, Gabriel Pires was transferred to Portuguese side S.L. Benfica, signing a five-year contract.[17] He made his debut for the club on 15 September, coming on as a substitute for Pizzi at the 70th minute of a 2–1 home victory over Rio Ave in the Taça da Liga.[18] Four days later, he made his UEFA Champions League debut, replacing Eduardo Salvio on the 62nd minute of a 2–0 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Estádio da Luz.[19] Four days later, Gabriel Pires made his Primeira Liga debut, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 home victory over Desportivo das Aves.[20]
He scored his first goal for Benfica on 6 February 2019, the opener in a 2–1 home win over rivals Sporting CP in the first hand of the Taça de Portugal semifinal.[21] That season, Gabriel Pires scored once in 33 appearances in all competitions for the Eagles, helping the club lift the Primeira Liga trophy.[22]
Al-Gharafa (loan)
On 28 September 2021, after three years representing Benfica, Gabriel Pires was loaned to Qatari side Al-Gharafa for the 2021–22 season.[23] He made his debut on 2 October, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 home loss to Qatar SC.[24] His first goal for the club came in 26 October, the opener in a 5–0 home win over Al-Khor.[25] On 7 April 2022, Gabriel Pires made his AFC Champions League debut, starting in a 0–0 draw away at Iranian side Foolad.[26] That season, he scored 7 goals in 32 appearances for Al-Gharafa, helping the club reach the Amir Cup final, where they lost 5–1 to Al-Duhail.[27]
Botafogo (loan)
On 12 August 2022, Benfica sent Gabriel Pires on loan to Brazilian side Botafogo until 30 June 2023, with an option to extend the loan until the end of the year.[28] Nine days later, he made his debut for the club, in the Série A, away at Juventude; 3 minutes after coming on as a substitute for Carlos Eduardo in the second half, Gabriel scored, leading to a 2–2 draw.
In April 2023, Botafogo announced their intention to activate the clause that extended Gabriel Pires' loan until the end of the year.[29] The loan was officially extended the following June.[30] At the end of the 2023 season, Gabriel returned to his parent club Benfica.[31]
Fluminense
On 18 January 2024, Benfica announced that Gabriel's contract had been terminated by mutual agreement.[32] Two days later, he signed a two-year deal with Série A club Fluminense.[33]
