Gabigol: I didn´t get a chance at Inter or Benfica

Gabriel Barbosa says he did not get the opportunity to show what he could do at Inter or Benfica, after making a goalscoring return to Santos.

The Brazilian – known as Gabigol – scored in his first Santos appearance in a draw at Ferroviaria on Saturday after ending an unhappy spell in Serie A.

Inter paid a reported €25 million to sign the Brazil international in August 2016, but he scored just once in the league, never starting a Serie A game.

A loan spell at Benfica went little better, the 21-year-old appearing for only 13 minutes off the bench in his only league appearance.

And after heading back to Santos on loan in the January transfer window, Gabigol complained about his lack of chances in Europe.

“Happy to be able to play again,” Barbosa told Premium Sport. “This is the important thing for every player and I didn’t get the chance at my previous clubs, I was always overlooked.

“When I arrived at Inter the coach [Frank de Boer] told me that I would get a chance in the starting XI but with so many managerial changes, it never happened.

“The club was going through a troubled period and wanted more experienced players and this I understand. But they never gave me a run in the team to prove my abilities.”

During his first spell at Santos, Gabigol was a prolific scorer and won the Campeonato Paulista twice.

The striker appeared for Brazil at the Copa America Centenario and helped his country win the gold medal at their home Olympics in 2016.