Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes is going head-to-head with Bruno Fernandes for the Premier League Player of the Season award but he is actually being outperformed by Lisandro Martinez.
This season, Bruno Fernandes is chasing the assist record in the Premier League and, as a result, he is a frontrunner for the Premier League Player of the Season award.
But Fernandes’ biggest competition comes from Declan Rice and Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who are both chasing the Premier League title with Arsenal.
Owen Hargreaves cast doubt on Fernandes winning the award as he believes Rice or Gabriel will scoop it if Arsenal win the league. However, Gabriel is lucky to be in the conversation.
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Gabriel Magalhaes is being outperformed by Lisandro Martinez
Gabriel is widely considered one of – if not the best – defender in the Premier League. Gabriel was linked with United before joining Arsenal in 2020. Since making the move, he has been on an impressive trajectory.
But statistics favour United defender Lisandro Martinez, who has won the World Cup in his career and was labelled a “top five centre-back in the world” by Pep Guardiola.
A direct comparison between Martinez and Gabriel was carried out by statistics experts DataMB on X, and the figures showed that Martinez is dominant in almost every category.
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Martinez ranked higher than Gabriel in ball carrying, passing, winning possession and duel success rates. The only category where Gabriel had the edge was in aerial duels.
The statistics compared Martinez’s and Gabriel’s 2025/26 statistics.
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Lisandro Martinez is incredibly underrated at Man United
Unfortunately, injuries have hindered Martinez’s career at United, but when he is fit there is no denying he is a world-class player.
United’s record without Martinez speaks for itself. The Argentina international levels up the Red Devils when he is on the pitch.
His aggressive pressing and tackling helps United to keep pressure on opponents, and his passing range is exceptional.
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In 2024, Martinez was hailed as the best centre-back in the world, and his Premier League statistics prove that he is incredibly underrated at United.
Martinez is set to return to action in April in what will be a huge boost to Michael Carrick’s squad.
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