Gabriel Martinelli couldn’t hide his admiration for Celtic’s Kieran Tierney, as the Arsenal star prepares to face his former teammate ahead of Scotland’s crucial World Cup tie against Brazil.
Martinelli joined Arsenal at the same time as Tierney and it’s clear that the Brazilian shares a deep admiration for the Celtic full-back.
Now readying himself to face Tierney and Scotland in Miami, Martinelli shares his deep respect and friendship with Tierney ahead of the final World Cup group game on Wednesday.
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Martinelli says Tierney is ‘my guy’ after Celtic’s title win
Tierney had a tough start in Scotland’s defeat to Morocco but it seems that Martinelli is well aware of the danger the Celtic defender poses to Brazil as he shares his love for the Hoops hero.
The Brazil star told The Scottish Sun, “He’s my guy. When I got there, he got there in the same year as me. He’s one of the best guys I’ve met in football.
“He’s so kind and so humble as well. So rapid! We used to joke who was the quickest in the sessions, in my opinion it was always him. He’s a great player. He’s doing well in Scotland.
“They’ve [Celtic] just won the league. I am so happy for him. I hope he doesn’t play so well against us [Brazil]. I’m always cheering for him.”
Martinelli clearly loves Tierney as a player, but as a friend, the Celtic star is very close to his former Arsenal teammate.
Martinelli earmarks Celtic’s Tierney as crucial for Scotland vs Brazil
Scotland must avoid losing to Brazil by two goals or more to qualify from the World Cup for the first time in the country’s history.
And it appears that Martinelli’s praise will not fall on deaf ears in the Brazil camp. Tierney has been just as important to Scotland as he has been to Celtic, and his pace and power in attack could be just as important to Steve Clarke as his ability to defend.
No one will give Scotland any hope of getting a result against Brazil, but it’s clear that Martinelli views Tierney as a threat and will undoubtedly warn his Brazil teammates to keep a close eye on the Celtic hero.
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