Gabriel Magalhães

Gabriel Magalhães is a Brazilian centre-back widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world, who captained Arsenal to the Premier League title in 2025-26 after a journey through Avaí, Lille and loan spells in France and Croatia.

Gabriel graduated from Avaí's academy and made his Série A debut in 2016 before moving to French club Lille. After loan stints at Troyes and Dinamo Zagreb — where he won a league and cup double — he returned to Lille and established himself as a commanding presence. Arsenal signed him for £27 million in 2020 and he has since made nearly 200 league appearances, scoring 20 goals from the back and earning consecutive PFA Team of the Year selections in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

His defensive contributions were central to Arsenal winning the Premier League in 2025-26. At international level he debuted for Brazil in September 2023 and has since earned 17 senior caps with 1 goal.