World Cup: Thiago Silva praises Brazil's potential secret weapon in Qatar

Thiago Silva picked out Gabriel Martinelli as Brazil's potential secret weapon at the 2022 World Cup. The Seleção's last triumph at football's biggest stage came 20 years ago, but Tite's side is again among the favourites, more so, because of their depth in every position.

The Chelsea defender feels the young Brazilian, who is making his World Cup debut, has the arrogance a forward needs to make a difference. Silva also feels Martinelli's connection with Arsenal teammate Gabriel Jesus can help fire Brazil to the trophy in Qatar.

Martinelli's selection came as a surprise, but Brazil coach Tite revealed that his unpredictability, and desire to take on players was the key reason for his inclusion. Silva feels the Gunners forward's ability to play without fear and not get fazed on the big occasion will help the Seleção.
"You can see the connection they've had this season with Arsenal - it's a big reason why they're top of the Premier League," Silva said, as quoted by the Mirror. "Jesus, we've known about his quality for a long time, but Martinelli is really showing what he's about."

"He's playing without fear and, if he gets the chance to play, I don't think it will faze him and he'll just do what we know he can do. I think all attacking players at the top level need that little bit of arrogance - that they know they can do something special - and he has that."

In 2018, the 21-year-old Arsenal star was plying his trade in Brazil's fourth division, and playing for Brazil in a World Cup was just a dream. Now in 2022, Martinelli made his debut for the senior team as they beat Serbia 2-0 in Qatar on Thursday night.

It has been a meteoric rise for Martinelli from the fourth tier of Brazilian football to the heights of the Premier League and the World Cup. He joined the north London team in 2019, and has established himself as a key member of Mikel Arteta's first-team squad.

Martinelli is already a winner with the Brazil national team, having played a key role in helping the them win gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He is likely to be a bench player for Tite at this World Cup, but at 21, with his desire, it is almost certain that his time on the biggest stage is just getting started.