What are the best Gabriel Martinelli rookie cards ever?

Brazil and Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli is one of the more hyped rookies within the game, and for good reason. 

He won the Summer Olympics in 2020, and was named as the Campeonato Paulista Young Player of the Year in 2019. 

A move to north London beckoned, and he signed with the Gunners for a reported fee of just £6 million. He’s definitely worth a lot more now, as he hasn’t looked out of place in the Premier League. 

We’ve put together a list with five of the best Gabriel Martinelli rookie cards, including some of the best options ever committed to cardboard. 

The Best Gabriel Martinelli Rookie Cards

Despite making his Arsenal debut in 2019, Gabriel Martinelli rookie cards were some of the best hits from 2021/22 sets. 

5. 2021 Panini Prizm Premier League Gabriel Martinelli RC #203 (eBay)

2021-22 Panini Prizm Premier League Soccer features the trademark curved border designs and strong imagery typically associated with the brand. 

Martinelli is one of the key rookies from the set, with a card available in a range of serial numbered Prizm parallels, including Choice and Breakaway variants. (They change the color or the pattern of the background.) 

Many have already been shipped off to the likes of PSA for grading.  

• Prizms: Blue Mojo, Blue Wave, Green Ice, Green Wave, Hyper, MultiColor, Orange Mojo, Pink, Pink Ice, Pink Mosaic, Pink Stars, Pink Wave, Red Ice, Red Mosaic, Red Wave, Red/White/Blue, Silver, Blue #/340, Red #/199, Red Mojo #/159, Purple #/99, Blue Ice #/75, Purple Ice #/49, Red Stars #/28, Orange #/25, Gold #/10, Blue Shimmer #/8, Green #/5, Black 1/1, Gold Power 1/1
• Breakaway Prizms: Base Breakaway, Blue #/199, Violet #/99, Teal #/49, Bronze #/25, Gold #/10, Lime Green #/5, Black 1/1
• Choice Prizms: Blue/Yellow/Green, Tiger Stripe, Red #/29, Green #/9, Nebula 1/1
• H2 Prizms: Green Mojo, Purple Mojo, Cracked Ice #/23, Gold Mojo #/10, Black Gold 1/1

Check prices of 2021 Panini Prizm Premier League Gabriel Martinelli RC on eBay 

4. 2021-22 Donruss Optic Gabriel Martinelli RC #182 (eBay)

From the 200-card 2021-22 Donruss Soccer Road to Qatar base set, we’re looking at Optic editions, with several being exclusive to Hobby formats.

The Optic cards sell for a premium in comparison to base versions, and are instantly recognizable thanks to the logo in the bottom right corner. 

Martinelli’s 2021/22 Rated Rookie card is also notable because it shows the forward in his Brazil kit, rather than the red and white of Arsenal.

• Optic Parallels: Blue Velocity, Green Velocity, Holo, Red Velocity, Red #/149, Blue #/99, Purple Velocity, Orange Velocity #/49, Black Velocity #/25, Pink Velocity #/25, Gold #/10, Red & Gold Velocity #/8, Gold Vinyl 1/1

Check prices of 2021-22 Donruss Optic Gabriel Martinelli RC on eBay 

3. 2020 Topps Merlin Chrome Gabriel Martinelli RC #24 (eBay)

2020 Topps Merlin Chrome is the highest ranking non-auto to make the list. 

A release featuring players from the Champions League and the Europa League, Arsenal qualified for the latter in 2020/21.

Martinelli is found in a simple posed shot, with his hands on his hips. As with the others, the real money lies with the colored Refractor parallels. You’ll find an example of the Orange parallel (limited to 25 copies) above.    

• Refractors: Refractor (1:3), Aqua Prism (3 per Blaster), Purple #/299, Atomic #/250, Aqua #/99, Speckle #/150, Green #/99, Green Mojo #/99, Blue #/75, Blue Shimmer #/75, Gold #/50, Gold Atomic #/50, Orange #/25, Black #/15, Red #/10, Red Wave #/5, SuperFractor 1/1

Check prices of 2020 Topps Merlin Chrome Gabriel Martinelli RC on eBay

2. 2021 Panini Immaculate Soccer Gabriel Martinelli RC #RA-GM (eBay)

2021 Panini Immaculate Soccer is a premium release capped by this Martinelli RC with a print run of 99 copies. 

It features two images of the Brazilian, with a stickered autograph found at the bottom, and an RC crest in the middle. While it’s a bit busier than the average Immaculate card, it’s still valuable. 

The Modern Marks subset also contains a Gabriel Martinelli rookie card auto.  

• Parallels: Bronze #/49, Sapphire #/25, Gold #/10, Ruby #/8, Platinum 1/1

Check prices of 2021 Panini Immaculate Soccer Gabriel Martinelli RC on eBay 

1. 2021 Panini Prizm Premier League Gabriel Martinelli RC #S-GM (eBay)

This auto found in 2021-22 Panini Prizm Premier League Soccer takes the top spot. It features a simple etched image of Martinelli as the main focus. 

Once again, a stickered signature is a slight let-down, but it’s still one of the more important cards to highlight the Arsenal forward. Base copies of the auto can be picked up for less than $175 at the current time of writing. 

• Prizms: Blue, Blue Shimmer, Orange Mojo, Pink Ice, Red Ice, Red Stars, Silver #/99, Purple #/25, Gold #/10, Black 1/1
• Breakaway Prizms: Base Breakaway, Gold #/10, Black 1/1
• Choice Prizms: Base Choice, Gold #/10, Black 1/1
• H2 Prizms:  Gold Wave, Black Gold 1/1

Check prices of 2021 Panini Prizm Premier League Gabriel Martinelli RC auto on eBay 

Gabriel Martinelli Rookie Cards: Buyers Guide 

Here are our thoughts on the current state of the market for the best Gabriel Martinelli rookie cards.  

As the majority were released to coincide with the 2022/22 season, many haven’t been graded, and prices are fluctuating. For cheaper options, we’d look at Silver Prizms, whether it’s Panini Premier League or Donruss Optic. 

Any low serial numbered rookie cards are a good bet, while the signed copies are a top premium investment. Of the duo listed above, we’d probably opt for the Prizm version over the Immaculate autos. 

Final Thoughts 

New Arsenal signing Gabriel Jesus gave the club a compliment when asked about his Brazilian compatriot; 

“We saw him and his qualities, and he can do things other players cannot. When I saw him come to Arsenal I was not surprised because I knew he had the quality to play in a big club in Europe and Brazil.”

Martinelli has acclimated to life in the Premier League, and the team has improved under head coach Mikel Arteta, even if they missed out on Champions League football for another year. 

The Brazil international made 21 starts and eight substitute appearances in the Premier League last season. As he can play anywhere across the front line, he’s earmarked for a larger role in 2022/23. 

Gabriel Martinelli rookie cards are still some of the most exciting within the hobby, especially if he can lead Arsenal to the top four, or help Brazil to glory in the 2022 World Cup.