Gabriel Calls Out Tottenham Rival With Brutal Social Media Post—Which Backfires

Gabriel kept the flames burning in a long-running feud with one of his direct rivals at Tottenham.

Gabriel was in a boisterous mood after Sunday’s derby win. | _gabrielmagalhaes/Instagram/Catherine Ivill-AMA/Getty Images

Arsenal centre back Gabriel Magalhães posted a triumphant picture of himself basking in the glory of Sunday’s 4–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur and made a point of tagging Spurs striker Richarlison.

A matter of hours after recording Arsenal’s largest ever Premier League victory away to their north London rivals, Gabriel was in a boisterous mood. The Gunners had come into the derby with their title credentials under scrutiny thanks in no small part to the Brazilian’s error which presented Wolverhampton Wanderers with their equaliser last week.

Mikel Arteta’s table toppers were nervy for large swathes of the first half on Sunday. Gabriel was one of several players who cheaply ceded possession when faced with Tottenham’s reinvigorated press during the opening exchanges and the centre back could do nothing to stop Randal Kolo Muani rapidly cancelling out Eberechi Eze’s opener.

Viktor Gyökeres fired Arsenal back in front within two minutes of the restart to pave the way for what turned into a comfortable 4–1 win. Gabriel certainly appeared to enjoy it.

Several of the defender’s teammates delivered supportive comments beneath the post which showed the towering figure triumphantly holding up a four of hearts card, one for each goal his teammates scored in N17. The most mischievous aspect of the post was the nod to Richarlison.

The Spurs striker is a Brazilian compatriot of Gabriel’s but there appears to be no love lost in that pairing. Richarlison was a late substitute on the weekend, but still found time to tangle with Gabriel on the pitch before receiving a digital taunt. This was merely the latest chapter in the simmering social media feud between the two.

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Gabriel vs. Richarlison in the Digital Age

Richarlison (left) and Gabriel love a battle. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Battles between Tottenham strikers and Arsenal centre backs used to be exclusively reserved for derby days. There may have been an occasional barb in the press which was pinned up on the dressing room wall, but in the modern social media age there are ample avenues for petty jibes.

Gabriel missed the reverse fixture between these sides through injury. Despite his stunning goal, Richarlison would find himself on the end of another 4–1 loss and a seemingly unnecessary taunt from his compatriot.

Shortly after the final whistle, Gabriel posted a picture of himself wearing the match shirt of hat-trick scorer Eze along with the midfielder’s Player of the Match award. Despite being nowhere to be seen, Richarlison was tagged.

This was likely a delayed response to the virtual tête-à-tête the pair played out during last summer’s pre-season friendly between the two north London rivals.

Spurs emerged victorious in the stifling heat of Hong Kong last July and Richarlison took his opportunity. The Brazilian forward shook off a glaring close-range miss to post an image of himself clutching two trophies, the Player of the Match award and the pre-season title Tottenham had won by claiming glory in the first-ever north London derby hosted outside the United Kingdom.

Gabriel did not let the issue lie. Arsenal’s prolific centre back swiftly responded with a picture of the three Premier League Player of the Match trophies which he had won against Spurs over the previous two seasons.

Gabriel had to have the last laugh. | _gabrielmagalhaes/Instagram

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Gabriel Taunt Backfires

Gabriel (top) got up close and personal with Randal Kolo Muani. | Rob Newell-CameraSport/Getty Images

Lined up in front of Gabriel on Arsenal’s team coach across north London on Sunday evening was an assortment of items from a vending machine and the Player of the Match trophy. As many onlookers were quick to point out, Gabriel did not receive that award on the weekend.

Gyökeres justifiably claimed that particular gong following a two-goal haul which Arteta hailed as his best performance in an Arsenal shirt. Gabriel, by contrast, had a rather less comfortable evening.

The proud defender was part of the first Premier League backline to concede a goal from Tottenham’s misfiring forward Kolo Muani who perhaps should have had a second. With Arsenal only 2–1 up in the second half, the French Spurs forward swatted another crisp finish beyond David Raya only to be denied by the referee’s whistle. According to a lenient Peter Bankes, Kolo Muani had fouled Gabriel to get his shot away.

There were definitely two hands on the defender’s back but whether the minimal contact genuinely forced the 6'3" centre back flopping to the turf is subjective.

It was a particularly galling decision for Spurs fans who watched Hugo Ekitiké apply even more force on Cristian Romero yet still escape with a goal when Liverpool travelled to Tottenham in December.

Not that Gabriel would have much cared.

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