Gabriel gesture to Arsenal’s man of the moment says everything

Arsenal defender Gabriel was in high spirits after the Gunners’ Champions League win over Bayern Munich

Gabriel Magalhaes showed his support for his Arsenal teammates despite being on the sidelines with an injury. The Brazilian is out of action due to a thigh problem, which he picked up during an international friendly against Senegal earlier this month.

The injury is expected to leave Gabriel on the sidelines for a few weeks, meaning he was unavailable to face Bayern on Wednesday night. Despite this, the defender was still at the Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal claim a 3-1 victory over the Bundesliga giants.

Gabriel went viral in April after his enthusiastic celebrations following Arsenal’s 3-0 thrashing of Real Madrid at the Emirates. He was also keen to join in the post-match euphoric scenes on Wednesday evening.

The 27-year-old quickly made his way onto the pitch to congratulate his teammates, with Declan Rice being one of the first to receive a hearty hug from him.

READ MORE: Chelsea vs Arsenal injury latest with Cole Palmer and Leandro Trossard updatesREAD MORE: Noni Madueke addresses Arsenal transfer petition and shares view on Chelsea return

Both players are instrumental in Arsenal’s quest for success this season and are pillars of Arteta’s dressing room, reports football.london.

Gabriel’s eagerness to embrace Rice reflects the England international’s crucial role in the victory. In the second half, Rice took control of the game and helped guide Arsenal to victory.

Rice pushed Arsenal forward, nearly set up a goal for Bukayo Saka, and made a crucial tackle that increased the noise levels inside the Emirates Stadium after he encouraged the crowd with his arms.

Rice may not wear the captain’s armband, but the midfielder has shown his leadership skills on a regular basis since his £105million transfer from West Ham.

Gabriel recognised an impressive performance, and while he did dish out hugs for the rest of his team-mates, there was clear recognition for Rice’s efforts in the middle of the park as the 26-year-old put in a stellar display against Bayern.

Arsenal are top of the Champions League standings and are the only team with a 100% record after their opening five matches of the league phase.

Arteta emphasised the importance of Arsenal securing a top-eight spot in the Champions League as soon as possible, which would see them clinch a place in the last-16 and avoid the play-offs.

“In any competition, the quicker that you can wrap it up, the better,” Arteta said.

“But we know the difficulty of that. We still have very, very difficult games ahead of us, but we are in a really positive position at the moment.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£43

£35

Sky

Get the deal here

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.