Gelson Martins
Martins with Portugal at the 2017 Confederations Cup
Personal information
Full name Gelson Dany Batalha Martins[1]
Date of birth (1995-05-11) 11 May 1995 (age 28)[2]
Place of birth Praia, Cape Verde
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[3]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Olympiacos
Number 10
Youth career
2008–2010 Futebol Benfica
2010–2014 Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Sporting CP B 40 (6)
2015–2018 Sporting CP 92 (18)
2018–2019 Atlético Madrid 8 (0)
2019 → Monaco (loan) 16 (4)
2019–2024 Monaco 87 (11)
2024– Olympiacos 4 (0)
International career
2012–2013 Portugal U18 10 (0)
2013–2014 Portugal U19 21 (7)
2014–2015 Portugal U20 9 (3)
2015–2017 Portugal U21 5 (2)
2016 Portugal U23 1 (1)
2016–2018 Portugal 21 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Portugal
FIFA Confederations Cup
Third place 2017 Russia
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Runner-up 2014 Hungary
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:19, 28 January 2024 (UTC)

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 26 February 2023[45]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sporting CP B 2014–15 Segunda Liga 40 6 — — — — 40 6
Sporting CP 2014–15 Primeira Liga 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2015–16 29 4 3 1 2 1 7 1 1[a] 0 42 7
2016–17 32 6 4 0 2 1 6 0 0 0 44 7
2017–18 31 8 5 1 3 1 13 3 0 0 52 13
Total 92 18 12 2 9 3 26 4 1 0 140 27
Atlético Madrid 2018–19 La Liga 8 0 2 1 — 2 0 0 0 12 1
Monaco (loan) 2018–19 Ligue 1 16 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 17 4
Monaco 2019–20 Ligue 1 21 4 2 0 0 0 — — 23 4
2020–21 23 3 4 0 — — — 27 3
2021–22 32 4 5 0 — 10 1 — 47 5
2022–23 11 0 1 0 — 3 0 — 15 0
Total 103 15 12 0 1 0 13 1 0 0 129 16
Career total 243 39 26 3 10 3 41 5 1 0 321 50
  1. ^ Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira

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

  1. ^ "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. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Monaco anuncia português Gelson Martins por empréstimo" [Monaco announce Portuguese Gelson Martins on loan] (in Portuguese). ESPN Brazil. January 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "William Carvalho, Gelson Martins and Bruno Fernandes ask to end Sporting Lisbon contracts". Sky Sports. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Sporting Lisbon players and staff attacked by intruders at training ground". The Guardian. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  16. ^ García, Jorge (18 July 2018). "Atlético wait for an answer from FIFA on Gelson Martins". Diario AS. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ Candil, Jaime; García, Jorge (27 July 2018). "Sporting Club file complaint against Atlético in search of €100m for Martins". Diario AS. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ "Gelson Martins cedido al Mónaco" [Gelson Martins loaned to Mónaco]. Sport (in Spanish). 27 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "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.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ "Monaco's Gelson Martins suspended 6 months for referee shove". The Washington Post. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.[dead link]
  29. ^ "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.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ Denis, Sebastien (15 November 2023). "Monaco: que devient Gelson Martins?" [Monaco: what happened to Gelson Martins?] (in French). Foot Mercato. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  32. ^ "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.
  33. ^ "Ο Ζέλσον Μαρτίνς στον Ολυμπιακό" [Gelson Martins at Olympiacos] (in Greek). Olympiacos F.C. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  34. ^ "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.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ "Dominant Portugal defeat Senegal". FIFA. 31 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2 June 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  37. ^ "Portugal break hosts' hearts". FIFA. 11 June 2015. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  38. ^ "Brazil through as profligate Portugal pay the penalty". FIFA. 14 June 2015. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  39. ^ "Gelson Martins convocado por Fernando Santos" [Gelson Martins called by Fernando Santos] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  40. ^ "Portugal 6–0 Andorra". BBC Sport. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  41. ^ "Nearly half Portugal's Euro squad to miss World Cup". Special Broadcasting Service. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  42. ^ "Ronaldo scores in Portugal's 1–0 win, Morocco eliminated". The New York Times. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  43. ^ "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.
  44. ^ "Euclides, o primo... de Gelson" [Euclides, the cousin... of Gelson]. Record (in Portuguese). 31 October 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  45. ^ "Gelson Martins". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  46. ^ "Gelson Martins". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  47. ^ "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.
  48. ^ "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.
  49. ^ Sanders, Emma (15 August 2018). "Real Madrid 2–4 Atlético Madrid". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  50. ^ ""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.
  51. ^ "Team of the Tournament". UEFA. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  52. ^ "SJPF revela os melhores 11 de 2016" [SPFP discloses best 11 of 2016] (in Portuguese). SJPF. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  53. ^ "Sindicato revela os melhores 11 de 2017" [Union discloses best 11 of 2017] (in Portuguese). SJPF. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  54. ^ "UEFA Europa League Squad of the 2017/18 Season". UEFA. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.

External links

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Olympiacos F.C. – current squad
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