Gelson Martins

Gelson Martins
Personal information
Full name Gelson Dany Batalha Martins
Date of birth (1995-05-11) 11 May 1995
Place of birth Praia, Cape Verde
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position Winger
Club information
Current team
 Sporting CP
Number 77
Youth career
2008–2010 Futebol Benfica
2010–2014 Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Sporting B 40 (6)
2015– Sporting CP 39 (6)
National team‡
2012–2013 Portugal U18 10 (0)
2013−2014 Portugal U19 21 (7)
2014−2015 Portugal U20 9 (3)
2015− Portugal U21 3 (1)
2016– Portugal U23 1 (1)
2016– Portugal 3 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 November 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 13 November 2016
This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Batalha and the second or paternal family name is Martins.

Gelson Dany Batalha Martins (born 11 May 1995) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Sporting Clube de Portugal as a winger.

Club career

Born in Praia, Cape Verde, Martins moved to Portugal in his teens and played youth football with C.F. Benfica and Sporting Clube de Portugal. In March 2014, he was promoted to the B-team of the latter and signed a contract extension until 2019, with a release clause of €45 million;[1] during his youth spell, his goal against C.F. União de Coimbra earned the praise of many,[2] but his coach at Sporting B eventually said he was being "harmed" by not playing in his preferred position as winger.[3]

Gelson made his debut as a professional on 24 August 2014, coming on as a late substitute for Lewis Enoh in a 1−0 away win against S.C. Olhanense for the Segunda Liga championship.[4] On 21 December he scored his first goal in the competition, contributing to a 3−1 success at Vitória de Guimarães B.[5]

Martins was promoted to Sporting's main squad in the 2015 summer, by new manager Jorge Jesus.[6] He made his competitive debut on 9 August, playing injury time in a 1−0 win over S.L. Benfica for the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira.[7]

Martins first appeared in the Primeira Liga on 14 August 2015, playing one minute in a 2−1 success against newly promoted C.D. Tondela.[8] On 15 January of the following year, against the same opponent, he scored Sporting's 5000th goal in the competition, putting the hosts ahead in an eventual 2−2 draw.[9]

International career

Martins was in the Portuguese squad for the 2014 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, playing all the matches en route to a runner-up finish in Hungary.[10] He also represented the nation at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring in the group stage against Senegal[11] and in the round-of-16 against hosts New Zealand[12] in an eventual quarter-final exit.[13]

Martins got his first call up to the senior team in late September 2016, for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Faroe Islands.[14] He gained his first cap against the former, replacing Pepe for the last 18 minutes of the 6−0 win in Aveiro.[15]

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.[16]

Career statistics

As of 7 November 2016[17]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sporting B 2014–15 Segunda Liga 406———406
Total 406000000406
Sporting 2014–15 Primeira Liga 0000200020
2015–16 Primeira Liga 294412171427
2016–17 Primeira Liga 10200004072
Total 75124141719015

Honours

Sporting

References

  1. ↑ "Gelson Martins renova com Sporting até 2019" [Gelson Martins renews with Sporting until 2019] (in Portuguese). A Semana. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Poker de Baldé em goleada tardia" [Baldé poker in late routing] (in Portuguese). Notícias do Futebol. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Gelson valoriza importância da Academia" [Gelson values importance of the academy] (in Portuguese). Notícias do Futebol. 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "Olhanense-Sporting B, 0−1: Dramé marca e acaba expulso" [Olhanense-Sporting B, 0−1: Dramé scores and ends up being sent off] (in Portuguese). Record. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  5. ↑ "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] (in Portuguese). Record. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Gelson: de extremo da equipa B ao onze... na Supertaça" [Gelson: from B-team winger to starting eleven... in Supercup] (in Portuguese). Record. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "Benfica 0−1 Sporting" (in Portuguese). RTP. 9 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "Penálti no final salvou Sporting frente ao estreante Tondela" [Penalty in the end saved Sporting against newcomer Tondela] (in Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  9. ↑ "Gelson Martins apontou o golo 5000 dos leões na Liga" [Gelson Martins scored the lions' goal 5000 in League] (in Portuguese). Record. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Ser jogador não é tudo para os vice-campeões europeus Sub-19" [Being a player is not all to Under-19 European vice-champions] (in Portuguese). Económico. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Dominant Portugal defeat Senegal". FIFA.com. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "Portugal break hosts' hearts". FIFA.com. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Brazil through as profligate Portugal pay the penalty". FIFA.com. 14 June 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "Gelson Martins convocado por Fernando Santos" [Gelson Martins called by Fernando Santos] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  15. ↑ "Portugal 6–0 Andorra: Cristiano Ronaldo nets FOUR in rout as minnows have two men sent off for kicking Real Madrid star during World Cup qualifier". Daily Mail. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "Gelson surpreende em todos os aspectos" [Gelson surprises in every aspect] (in Portuguese). Notícias do Futebol. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  17. ↑ "Gelson Martins". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
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