Former Brazil star Neto has labelled the inclusion of Gabriel Martinelli in his nation's World Cup squad as a 'joke'. Selecao boss Tite named his 26-man roster for the upcoming tournament in Qatar earlier this week, with Arsenal teammate Gabriel Jesus among those also selected.
Martinelli made his debut for his country earlier this year, featuring just three times for Brazil. The 21-year-old has never started a competitive fixture for his nation and he's yet to score or assist.
He didn't appear in either of Brazil's final pair of friendlies ahead of the World Cup either. Speaking on Os Donos da Bola, Neto lashed out at Tite's decision, claiming that Martinelli has not done enough to warrant a place in the squad and omit Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa.
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"This is a shame, a joke," he said, as quoted by the Mirror. "I feel ashamed! Not because of Dani Alves' story. What is Martinelli's story? 33 career goals. This is a shame, a lack of respect for football. Doing this with football shows that you don't deserve the position you are in.
"Calling up Martinelli and not calling up Gabigol is a lack of respect. The biggest shame of all the call-ups. Calling up Martinelli shows that you, Tite, shouldn't hold the position you do, because you're not fair to Gabigol.
"The guy [Martinelli] who scores five goals in the season, who walks around the mall here, nobody knows who he is," Neto added, And not taking Gabigol, the guy who scored the goal of the Libertadores title, who scored 29 goals in the season.
"What has Martinelli done in European football? Arsenal are not even in the Champions League. This is a calamity!"
Despite Martinelli's lack of experience for Brazil, the winger has greatly impressed for Arsenal this season. He's been central to Mikel Arteta's exciting project at the Emirates Stadium which sees the Gunners sit top of the Premier League.
The youngster has featured 19 times for the north Londoners this season, directly contributing towards seven goals. Gabriel Barbosa, who was once branded as the 'next Neymar in Brazil, on the other hand has scored 29 goals in 62 appearances for Flamengo this season.
Neto's furious rant didn't stop there either. The former Brazil star aimed a dig at Jesus too, questioning the Arsenal striker's record in front of goal. The 56-year-old added: "How many goals has Gabriel Jesus scored in these last games? Oh, none. In the World Cup? Zero. In the qualifiers? Zero. He hasn’t scored in eight games."
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