Gabriel Martinelli Shines with First Hat-Trick for Al-Hilal

Gabriel Martinelli did not just arrive in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night. He announced himself.

Al-Hilal’s Brazilian signing ripped through Al-Taawoun in Buraidah, ending a long, nagging goal drought with his first hat-trick for the club in the seventh round of the Saudi Roshn League.

Drought broken, doubts silenced

Eighteen minutes in, the wait was over.

Martinelli reacted quickest to a rebound inside the penalty area, stepping onto the loose ball and guiding it firmly into the net for Al-Hilal’s second of the game. It was a straightforward finish, but a significant one: his first goal in Al-Hilal colours, coming in only his third appearance since arriving from Arsenal in the summer.

That strike carried layers of relief. It was his first club goal in seven months, his first for “the Leader”, and a reminder of the penalty-box sharpness that made him such a coveted signing.

The numbers underline how long the tap had run dry. His last goals for Arsenal dated back to 15 February, in a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Between that night and this one in Buraidah, he had found the net just once – for Brazil, in a 2-1 victory over Japan in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

At league level, the wait had been even more painful. Martinelli had not scored in a domestic league match since 21 September 2025, when he struck in a 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the fifth round of the Premier League.

On this evidence, that version of Martinelli is back.

From relief to ruthlessness

Once the first goal came, the Brazilian shifted gear.

Two minutes before half-time, he doubled his tally and stretched Al-Hilal’s lead to three. English forward Ollie Watkins threaded a precise through ball into space, and Martinelli burst onto it, racing clear of the Al-Taawoun back line before finishing with the composure of a man who had never been away.

The pressure that had built over months evaporated in less than half a game.

And he still was not finished.

Five minutes after the restart, in the 50th minute, Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville drove in a low cross from the flank. Martinelli timed his run, met the ball cleanly, and swept it home to complete his hat-trick with an effortless touch.

That third goal did more than cap a dominant display. It marked his first hat-trick for Al-Hilal and his first in eight months, since Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Portsmouth on 11 January in the third round of the FA Cup.

A new chapter at Al-Hilal

The Brazilian’s explosion in Buraidah followed a quiet start to life in Saudi Arabia. He made his debut off the bench in a 2-0 win over Al-Shabab in the fifth round of the Roshn League, then started in the 2-0 defeat to Neom without scoring.

This time, he did not just start. He took control.

For Al-Hilal, the performance is exactly what they expected when they moved for him in the summer window. For Martinelli, it feels like the night his story in the Roshn League truly began.