Gabriel Martinelli vs Bukayo Saka Stats – What Do The Numbers Say?
What do the numbers say about Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka? We take an in-depth look at the figures to find out
They are two of Arsenal’s bright young attacking prospects – but what do the numbers say about Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka?
Martinelli and Saka are of a similar age and have been impressive in establishing themselves in Arsenal’s attacking line-up over the last few years.
In this in-depth comparison article, we’re going to take a close look at both players to see what the numbers say about how the pair have been performing lately.
We’re going to be paying particularly close attention to their attacking stats, including goals and assists, and look at how often they’ve been starting for the Gunners.
Introduction And Recent History
Gabriel Martinelli began his youth career with Brazilian side Corinthians, before moving to Ituano. He joined Arsenal from Ituano in the summer of 2019 in a deal reported to be in the region of £6m.
After having made his Premier League debut for the Gunners in August 2019, Martinelli has gone on to establish himself as one of the north London club’s brightest young attacking talents.
The high-energy forward, who can also play as a winger, made his senior international debut for Brazil in 2022.
Bukayo Saka is a product of Arsenal’s youth academy and he first joined the Gunners’ set-up when he was around seven years old.
The winger made his first-team debut for the Gunners in November 2018, and he has been a regular fixture in the Arsenal team since the 2019-20 campaign.
Saka made his England debut in 2020 and was part of the Three Lions squad who reached the Euro 2020 final in 2021, with the winger missing the decisive penalty in the final shootout against Italy.
Bukayo Saka (Photo: Adidas)
Both players featured for Arsenal in the FA Cup en route to the Gunners winning the competition back in the 2019-20 campaign.
Martinelli vs Saka – Recent League Form
Let’s now take a look at how both Saka and Martinelli have been performing in the Premier League for Arsenal in recent years.
Martinelli’s first season at Arsenal – in 2019-20 – resulted in him scoring three goals in 14 games in the Premier League. He started six times in the top flight, with the remaining eight appearances coming as a substitute.
In the following campaign, he started seven Premier League games, making 14 appearances in total and scoring two goals and making one assist.
At the time of writing, Martinelli’s most fruitful campaign in the Premier League was in 2021-22, when he scored six goals and made six assists for the Gunners. He started 21 games and made a further eight appearances from the bench in the top flight that season.
Meanwhile, Saka’s breakthrough season at Arsenal was in the 2019-20 campaign, when he started 19 games in the top flight, scoring one goal and making five assists from a total of 26 appearances in the Premier League.
Gabriel Martinelli (Photo: Arsenal Media / YouTube)
In the 2020-21 season, Saka started 30 of Arsenal’s 38 Premier League games, scoring five goals and making three assists from a total of 32 appearances in the top flight.
Saka’s most successful season for Arsenal in the Premier League – correct as of the time of writing – came in the 2021-22 campaign, when he scored 11 goals and made seven assists in the top flight. That season, he featured in every single one of the Gunners’ Premier League games, starting all but two of them.
So, both players enjoyed their breakthroughs into the Arsenal team at a similar time. That being said, Saka has been the more consistent starter and performer for the Gunners over the last couple of seasons.
What About In Europe?
Let’s now take a look at how both players have fared in European competition recently.
Neither Martinelli nor Saka have any experience playing in the Champions League yet, with the pair having only featured in the Europa League for the Gunners up until this point.
Martinelli has featured in two seasons for Arsenal in the Europa League – in 2019-20 and 2020-21. In the former, he scored three goals and made two assists in seven Europa League games. In the latter, he made six substitute appearances but did not score or make an assist.
Saka has three seasons of Europa League football under his belt. He made his debut in the competition for Arsenal in the 2018-19 campaign, when he made two appearances. In the following season, he scored two goals and made five assists in six Europa League games.
And in the 2020-21 season, Saka scored two goals and made three assists in nine Europa League games.
So, both players have some experience in the Europa League, with Saka having made more appearances in the competition than his Brazilian counterpart. Saka has also scored one more goal than Martinelli in the competition.
(Photo: Bukayo Saka / Instagram)
Martinelli vs Saka – Head To Head In Front Of Goal
Let’s now take a look at how the pair compare in terms of their figures in front of goal over the last few seasons.
The numbers below show the total number of club goals scored and assists made per season in all competitions (however, note that assists numbers only include league and European games).
• 2019-20 season:
Martinelli – 10 goals and 2 assists
Saka – 4 goals and 10 assists
• 2020-21 season:
Martinelli – 2 goals and 1 assist
Saka – 7 goals and 6 assists
• 2021-22 season:
Martinelli – 6 goals and 6 assists
Saka – 12 goals and 7 assists
• Total:
Martinelli – 18 goals and 9 assists
Saka – 23 goals and 23 assists
So, although both players have shown lots of improvement over the last few years, Saka boasts the better numbers in front of goal in terms of assists and goals scored. It’s worth noting, however, that Martinelli was ruled out of action for around six months in 2020 due to a serious knee injury.
What About Their International Form?
Both players have featured for their country, although Saka is the more experienced of the pair as things stand.
Martinelli made his senior international debut for Brazil in 2022, and as of the time of writing, he had made a total of three appearances for his country. He was also part of the Brazil side that won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Meanwhile, Saka has more international experience at the top level. Since making his debut for England in 2020, he has scored four goals in 18 games for the Three Lions, correct as of the time of writing.
Gabriel Martinelli with the FA Cup trophy (Photo: @gabriel.martinelli / Instagram)
How Old Are Martinelli and Saka?
The pair are of a similar age, with Saka having been born just a few months after Martinelli.
Gabriel Martinelli was born on 18 June 2001 in Guarulhos, Brazil and is currently 22 years old.
Bukayo Saka was born on 5 September 2001 in London, England and is currently 22 years old.
How Tall Are Martinelli and Saka?
Interestingly, both players are exactly the same height, standing at 178cm or 5ft 10ins tall.
Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard (Photo: @odegaard.98 / Instagram)
Gabriel Martinelli vs Bukayo Saka – In Conclusion
So, that brings us to the end of our comparison of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. Both of a similar age and build, the pair have been making inroads into the Arsenal team in recent seasons.
Overall, Saka has been the more consistent starter for Arsenal in recent seasons, but it’s important to remember that Martinelli was injured for half of 2020.
If you’re wondering whether to include Martinelli or Saka in your fantasy football team, then it’s probably the England international that looks the best choice given both players’ recent form. That said, they are both solid options who have promising careers ahead of them.
