Gelson Martins

Sporting CP

Born in Praia, Cape Verde, Martins moved to Portugal in his teens and played youth football with C.F. Benfica and Sporting CP. In March 2014, he was promoted to the B team of the latter and signed a contract lasting until 2019 and which included a release clause of €45 million. During his youth spell, his goal against C.F. União de Coimbra earned the praise of many, even though his coach at Sporting B had previously said that he was being "harmed" by not playing in his preferred position as winger. Martins made his professional debut on 24 August 2014, coming on as a late substitute for Lewis Enoh in a 1–0 away win against S.C. Olhanense in the Segunda Liga. On 21 December, he scored his first goal in the competition, contributing to a 3–1 victory at Vitória S.C. B. In summer 2015, Martins was promoted to the main squad by new manager Jorge Jesus. He made his competitive debut on 9 August, playing injury time in a 1–0 win over S.L. Benfica in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. Martins first appeared in the Primeira Liga on 14 August 2015, playing one minute in a 2–1 defeat of newly promoted C.D. Tondela. On 15 January of the following year, against the same opponent, he scored Sporting's 5,000th goal in the competition, putting the hosts ahead in an eventual 2–2 draw. On 11 June 2018, Martins requested that his contract with Sporting be terminated following an incident in May in which a group of around 50 supporters invaded the club's training centre and…

Martins was in the Portugal squad for the 2014 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, playing all the matches en route to a runner-up finish in Hungary. He also represented the nation at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring in the group stage against Senegal and in the round of 16 against hosts New Zealand in an eventual quarter-final exit. In late September 2016, Martins got his first call up to the senior team, for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and the Faroe Islands. He won his first cap against the former, replacing Pepe for the last 18 minutes of the 6–0 win in Aveiro. Martins was picked by manager Fernando Santos for his 2018 FIFA World Cup squad. He made his debut in the competition on 20 June, playing roughly 30 minutes in the 1–0 group stage defeat of Morocco after replacing Bernardo Silva.

Mainly a winger on both flanks, Martins can also operate as a right-back, a trait which cemented his place in the junior national teams.

Martins' cousin, Euclides Cabral, is also a footballer.