Gabriel Menino


Gabriel Vinicius Menino, known as Gabriel Menino, is a Brazilian professional footballer, who plays for Santos, on loan from Atlético Mineiro. Primarily a midfielder, he can also play as a right-back.

Club career

Early career

Born in Morungaba, São Paulo, Menino joined the youth categories of Palmeiras in 2017, from Guarani. In his first year at the club, he was a member of the Copa do Brasil Sub-17 winning team.
On 1 October 2018, after becoming a regular member of the under-20 team of Verdão, Menino renewed his contract until 2023. In that year, he was caught in a doping exam when playing for the under-20 national team, with the prohibited substance being clenbuterol, but was absolved shortly after as the club was able to prove that the contamination came from food ingestion.

Palmeiras

On 25 November 2019, Menino was promoted to the first team ahead of the 2020 season. He made his senior debut on 22 January 2020, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–0 Campeonato Paulista away win over Ituano. In March, he further extended his link until December 2024.
After helping the club to win the 2020 Campeonato Paulista, Menino made his Série A debut on 12 August of that year, starting in a 1–1 away draw against Fluminense. He scored his first professional goal on 17 September, in a 2–1 win over Bolívar in the Copa Libertadores; aged 19 years, 11 months and 16 days, he became the second-youngest ever to score for the club in the competition at that time.
Menino quickly established himself as a first-team regular at Palmeiras in his first season, also featuring as a right-back when Marcos Rocha and Mayke were out injured. He was also a starter in the 2020 Copa Libertadores final, featuring in 85 as the club lifted the trophy of the competition after 21 years.
On 19 February 2022, despite losing his starting spot, Menino had his contract renewed until December 2025. He profitted from Danilo's departure to Nottingham Forest to regain a starting spot during the 2023 campaign, and extended his link with the club until December 2027 on 6 January 2024.

Atlético Mineiro

On 1 January 2025, Menino joined Atlético Mineiro on a four-year deal. He made his club debut late in the month, starting in a 1–1 Campeonato Mineiro home draw against América Mineiro.
Menino scored his first goal for Galo on 10 August 2025, netting the opener within 37 seconds in a 1–1 away draw against Vasco da Gama; it was the fastest goal of the 2025 Série A at that time. Regularly used under head coach Cuca, he lost space after the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli.

Loan to Santos

On 14 January 2026, Santos announced Menino on loan until the end of the year. He made his club debut four days later, starting in a 1–1 away draw against his first club Guarani, and scored his first goal on 28 January, but in a 4–2 away loss to Chapecoense.

International career

In September 2018, Menino and three other Palmeiras teammates appeared with the Brazil national under-20 team in friendlies in Mexico, In October, he scored a goal in a friendly against Chile, and also made the final list for the 2019 South American U-20 Championship in December.
On 18 September 2020, Menino received his first call up to the full side as a right-back, for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru. He was an unused substitute in both matches.
On 17 June 2021, Menino was named in the Brazil squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics. He played in three matches during the competition, also coming on as an extra-time substitute in the Gold Medal match against Spain.

Career statistics

Honours

Club

;Palmeiras
  • Campeonato Paulista: 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Copa do Brasil: 2020
  • Copa Libertadores: 2020, 2021
  • Recopa Sudamericana: 2022
  • Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2022, 2023
  • Supercopa do Brasil: 2023
;Atlético Mineiro
  • Campeonato Mineiro: 2025
;Brazil Olympic
  • Summer Olympics: 2020
;Individual
  • Copa Libertadores Team of the Tournament: 2020
  • IFFHS CONMEBOL Youth Team of the Year: 2020
  • Troféu Mesa Redonda's Best Newcomer in Brazilian Football: 2020
  • Copa do Brasil Final Ideal Team: 2020
  • Campeonato Mineiro Team of the Year: 2025
  • Supercopa do Brasil top scorer: 2023