Brazilian centre back Gabriel says winning the FA Cup is a moment he will treasure for the rest of his life.
It is approaching a year since the Sao Paulo-born defender moved to England to join the Gunner’s, arriving from Villarreal in January this year.
And the 25-year-old was delighted to have won a trophy so soon into his career at the Emirates and in such a ‘prestigious’ tournament.
It is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life, winning my first trophy with Arsenal, and the most important of my career.
I spent a whole week just thinking about this game, and the fact that it was at Wembley, a stadium that everyone around the world knows. The thought of setting foot on such a legendary pitch, in this magnificent stadium, was amazing.
It has been a steep learning curve for Gabriel, who, as recently as two years ago, was representing Vitoria in the second tier of Brazilian football.
After spending a season-and-a-half in La Liga for The Yellow Submarine, Gabriel now finds himself playing at a club battling for league titles and playing in the UEFA Champions League.
His first year at Arsenal has been largely transitional, integrating into a team as back-up to first-choice defenders Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny when the pair were unavailable.
But that didn’t stop him enjoying every moment of the record-breaking 12th FA Cup triumph in May.
I was lucky enough to play in the semi-final and the final was very emotional for me too.
It was great to win a trophy so soon after arriving at the club, and also very important for my family. It was great to see the whole squad so happy at achieving our goal.
