Gabigol Barbosa Is Finally Living Up To His Hype

If you have not heard the name of Gabigol at some point during 2019, then you are not paying enough attention to football. Or maybe you’re just living under a rock, completely unaware of your surroundings. Either way, every football fan should at the very least know who he is by now.

Currently playing for Flamengo, Gabriel Barbosa Almeida – his full name – has been one of the best players in both the Brazilian Serie A and the 2019 Copa Libertadores, scoring goals for fun and looking like a dominant attacker who is ready to takeover Europe. The numbers speak for themselves and do not merit any sort of analysis. He has 19 goals in the Serie A, seven more in the Copa Libertadores, and two in the Brazilian Cup. He also added seven in 12 Campeonato Carioca appearances.

Put those numbers together, and Gabigol has scored an impressive 35 goals in 48 appearances. That’s a goalscoring record European sides would dream about, especially considering the striker is only 23 years old. He has several years left to develop before hitting his prime. But this isn’t the first time Barbosa is heavily linked with a move to Europe, nor the first time he plays on a European side.

Gabigol has always been considered as a highly-touted prospect ever since he was at Santos’ youth ranks. Gabriel Barbosa – who has said multiple times he doesn’t like the ‘Gabigol’ nickname – was seen as Brazil’s best striker since the days of Adriano, and he came up to O Peixe’s first team in an era where Brazil was seriously lacking a real scoring threat in the National Team. He was always expected to be La Selecao’s striker of the future.

His first move to Europe, however, didn’t go as expected…

But something happened along the way. He signed for Inter Milan back in 2016, but registered just one goal in nine appearances. Therefore, Gabigol moved to Benfica on loan, and his fortune didn’t change – just one appearance and no goals. Looking to re-gain his confidence, the striker returned to Santos in 2018. The move would be benefitial, as he netted 18 goals in 35 league appearances for O Peixe. He entertained the idea of returning to Europe, but Flamengo had an offer on the table, and Gabigol chose to stay home for another year.

That turned out to be the right choice for him. Keep in him he’s still on loan from Inter, though. So the Serie A side will have to decide what they’re going to do with him come January time. Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton have expressed interest in signing him, while Inter are open to make business. The Serie A giants already have Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Sanchez on their squad. Adding another high-profile striker might not be the best course of action.

Don’t be surprised if Gabigol leaves Inter this summer and moves elsewhere. But one thing is absolutely clear. He’s ready to move to Europe and start writing his own story.