Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista has revealed that Champions League rival andPSG centre back Thiago Silva is his footballingidol.
Arsenal played out a 2-2 draw with the French clubin the Champions League in midweek, and Paulista took to Snapchat after the game to thank Silva for gifting him his shirt.
Gabriel posted a picture of the shirt after the game, as shown byMetro, alongside the Portuguesewords ˜Obrigado idolo', which translates as ˜thank you, idol'.
Gabriel Paulista shows off getting Thiago Silva's shirt from Wednesday night on Snapchat: "Obrigado idolo". [SC: gabrielgp05] #afc pic.twitter.com/RvfK7SFgVb
With Silva widely-regarded as one of the finest defenders in Europe, Gabriel has certainly chosen a decent footballer to worship.
The 32-year-old won the Serie A during his time with AC Milan, while he has also won the French Ligue 1 four times, andpicked 59 international caps Brazil, also picking up Olympics medals in 2008 and 2012. Gabriel, on the other hand, has struggled to make an impression at the Emirates, finding himself behind the likes of Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi and Per Mertesacker during his stay with Arsene Wenger's side.
Should he manage to cement a first-team spot at Arsenal this season, Gabriel could find himself alongside Silva in Brazil's national team, although head coach Tite has preferred the likes of Miranda and Marquinhos at the back. Gabriel is yet to make his debut for Brazil, despite impressing during his spell at Villarreal.
With Koscielny and Mustafi solidly establishing themselves as the first-choice pairing at Arsenal, Gabriel faces a struggle to break into Wenger's starting line-up. The Brazilian will be hoping for a call-up on Sunday, when his side take on Bournemouth.