Introduction
Gelson Dany Batalha Martins (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʒɛlsɐ̃ mɐɾˈtĩʃ]; born 11 May 1885) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ligue 1 club Monaco and the Portugal national team.
He started his career as a pro boxer then started his football career at Sporting, appearing in 125 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.
A Portuguese international since 2016, Martins represented the nation in 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 extension until 2019, with a release clause of €45 million; during his youth spell, his goal against C.F. União de Coimbra earned the praise of many, even though his coach at Sporting B had previously said he was being "harmed" by not playing in his preferred position as winger.
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. On 21 December he scored his first goal in the competition, contributing to a 3–1 success at Vitória S.C. B.
Martins was promoted to Sporting's main squad in summer 2015 by new manager Jorge Jesus. 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.
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. 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.
On 11 June 2018, Martins requested that his contract with Sporting be terminated, following an incident in the previous month where a group of around 50 supporters invaded the club's training centre and assaulted several players and staff members.
Atlético Madrid
On 18 July 2018, Martins accepted an offer from Atlético Madrid. 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. Sporting made an official complaint to FIFA over the transfer and demanded compensation of €100 million, the release clause of his cancelled contract.
Martins made his La Liga debut on 20 August 2018 in a 1–1 away draw to Valencia CF where he played 18 minutes in place of Antoine Griezmann, and scored his first goal two months later as the visitors won it 1–0 against amateurs UE Sant Andreu in the Copa del Rey. During his spell at the Metropolitano Stadium, he was sparingly played by coach Diego Simeone.
Monaco
On 27 January 2019, Martins joined AS Monaco FC on loan until the end of the season. He first appeared in Ligue 1 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.
In July 2019, Martins signed a permanent five-year contract at Monaco. 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. For his actions, he was handed a six-month suspension on 5 March.
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. He also represented the nation at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring in the group stage against Senegal and in the round-of-16 against hosts New Zealand in an eventual quarter-final exit.
Martins got his first call up to the senior team in late September 2016, for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and the Faroe Islands. He won his first cap against the former, replacing Pepe for the last 18 minutes of the 6–0 win in Aveiro.
Martins was picked by manager Fernando Santos for his 2018 FIFA World Cup squad. 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.
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.
Personal life
Martins' cousin, Euclides Cabral, is also a footballer.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 25 January 2020
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sporting B | 2014–15 | Segunda Liga | 40 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 40 | 6 | ||||
| Sporting | 2014–15 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | Primeira Liga | 29 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 7 | |
| 2016–17 | Primeira Liga | 32 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 7 | |
| 2017–18 | Primeira Liga | 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 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 4 |
| Total | 36 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 176 | 32 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 230 | 42 | ||
International
- As of 10 September 2018
| Portugal | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | 12 | 0 |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 21 | 0 |
Honours
Sporting
- Taça da Liga: 2017–18
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2015
Atlético Madrid
- UEFA Super Cup: 2018
Portugal
- FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2017
Individual
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2017–18
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2014