Gabriel Martinelli admits his first thought upon seeing that he was now an Arsenal teammate of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's was simply: "f***!"
However the kind actions of the Arsenal skipper quickly ensured that the young Brazilian was made to feel at home at the Emirates Stadium.
Eighteen-year-old forward Martinelli was an unknown when he joined the club from lower league Brazilian football in the summer, but he has quickly found a place in Gunners' fans hearts thanks to 10 goals in 26 appearances.
And in recalling his first day as an Arsenal player in an interview with FourFourTwo, Martinelli says he was a little overawed by his new teammate.
"When I turned up it was lunchtime, and only Aubameyang was sat at the table," he said. "My first thought was, ‘F**k!’"
"I sat next to him, a bit shy, but as Auba speaks Spanish, he struck up a conversation and asked where I was from. We had a nice chat. He had met a random guy from another country, but was so kind and wished me luck.
"After that, there were some pre-season assessments at the gym. All the players were there: [Mesut] Ozil, [Alexandre] Lacazette, Auba... but I couldn’t speak a word of English. ‘Oh my god’ was my initial reaction."
Martinelli also outlined what he wants to achieve at the Gunners.
"I want to win the Champions League and lots of domestic titles to make Arsenal ’s fans very happy," he said.
"They deserve the best – not only the supporters but all of the club’s staff.
“I’d like to give back to the club after everything they’ve done for me so far and, as a result, become a Gunners legend."
