Introduction
Gabriel Barbosa Almeida (born 30 August 1996), known as Gabriel or Gabigol, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Internazionale and the Brazil national team.
Club career
Santos
Born in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Gabriel joined Santos FC's youth setup in 2004, aged 8; his prolific goalscoring with the club's youth sides saw him earn the nickname Gabigol. On 25 September 2012, he signed a professional contract, with a €50 million buyout clause, and made his first team debut on 17 January of the following year, in a friendly match against Grêmio Barueri.
On 26 May 2013, Gabriel made his league debut, at only 16 years old, in a 0–0 draw against Flamengo. He scored his first professional goal on 22 August, netting the game's only in a home success against Grêmio, for the year's Copa do Brasil.
On 1 February 2014, Gabriel scored a brace and Santos' 12,000th goal in a 5–1 victory against Botafogo-SP, for that year's Campeonato Paulista championship. He finished the tournament with seven goals, as Peixe finished second.
Gabriel netted his first Série A goal on 20 April 2014, scoring his side's only in a 1–1 home draw against Sport Recife. He signed a new five-year deal with the club on 23 September, and finished the season with 21 goals, ten ahead of high-spending Leandro Damião.
After starting the 2015 campaign on the bench, Gabriel was appointed as first-choice after the departure of Robinho. He scored ten goals in the year's Brasileirão, and was the top scorer in Copa do Brasil with eight goals, with highlights including braces against Sport Recife, Joinville and Atlético Mineiro, and the winner in the first leg of the national cup's final against Palmeiras. His impressive form for the season with Santos also saw him named by Spanish sport magazine Don Balón as one of 101 best young talents in world football in 2015
Gabriel started the 2016 season with two consecutive goals, against São Bernardo and Ponte Preta. On 24 April he scored a double in a 2–2 home draw against Palmeiras (3–2 win on penalties), as his side reached the finals of the Paulistão for the eight consecutive time.
Internazionale
On 27 August 2016, Gabriel signed for Internazionale on a five-year deal in a deal reportedly worth €29.5m. He scored his first goal for Inter on 19 February, after coming off the bench, the decisive goal in a 1–0 away victory against Bologna.
International career
Youth
In November 2011, Gabriel was called up to Brazil under-15s. On 20 June 2013, he appeared with the under-17s in a tournament in Miami.
On 22 July 2014 Gabriel was called up to the under-20s for the year's L'Alcúdia International Football Tournament. He was the competition's top scorer, but missed the final 2–0 win over Levante UD due to a dismissal in the previous game against Argentina.
Gabriel was also included in Alexandre Gallo's 23-man squad for the 2015 South American Youth Championship held in Uruguay. He scored his first goal in the competition on 20 January 2015, netting the last in a 2–0 win against Venezuela.
In 2015, Gabriel was also called up for friendlies with the under-23 side, scoring six goals in only four matches. He was also part of the host team that won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics under manager Rogério Micale.
Gabriel scored a brace for Brazil in their final group game against Denmark in an eventual 4–0 win.
Senior
On 26 March 2016, Gabriel received his first call up to the full squad, replacing suspended Neymar for a 2018 World Cup Qualifier against Paraguay. However, he was only an unused substitute in the 2–2 draw at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco in Asunción.
On 5 May 2016, Gabriel was called up by manager Dunga to participate in the Copa América Centenario to be held in the United States, describing the call-up as a "dream". He made his full international debut on 29 May, replacing goalscorer Jonas and scoring the last in a 2–0 friendly win over Panama.
Playing style
Considered to be a talented prospect, Gabriel is known for his technical skills, creativity and use of tricks on the ball; due to his flair and flamboyant playing style, he has been dubbed the "next Neymar" by the media.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | State League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Santos | 2013 | Série A | 11 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 13 | 2 | |||
| 2014 | 31 | 8 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 6 | — | — | 56 | 21 | ||||
| 2015 | 30 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 14 | 8 | — | — | 56 | 21 | ||||
| 2016 | 11 | 5 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 12 | ||||
| Subtotal | 83 | 24 | 47 | 17 | 24 | 15 | — | — | 154 | 56 | ||||
| Internazionale | 2016–17 | Serie A | 8 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| Total | 91 | 25 | 47 | 17 | 25 | 15 | — | — | 163 | 57 | ||||
International
| Brazil | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2016 | 4 | 2 |
| Total | 4 | 2 |
International goals
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 29 May 2016 | Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, United States |  Panama |
|
|
Friendly |
| 2. | 8 June 2016 | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, United States |  Haiti |
|
|
Copa América Centenario |
Honours
Club
- Campeonato Paulista: 2015, 2016
International
- Olympic Gold Medal: 2016
Individual
- Copa do Brasil top goalscorer: 2014, 2015
- Bola de Prata Best Newcomer: 2015
- Campeonato Paulista Team of the year: 2016