The Spanish newspaper "AS" reported that former international advisor at Barcelona, Ariedo Braida, closely followed the Portuguese striker Gelson Martins when he was a player at Sporting Lisbon, considering him one of the most prominent rising talents at the time.

The newspaper clarified that Braida, who played an advisory role during Josep Maria Bartomeu's management, included Gelson's name in the list of candidates to join Barcelona, given the similarity of his style with the club's historical wingers since Johan Cruyff's era, such as Figo, Simão, and Quaresma.

AS added that 2016 saw competition between Barcelona and Real Madrid to sign the player after his remarkable performance against the royal club in the Champions League, but the deal ultimately did not materialize.

Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid later secured the deal for 22 million euros, despite his market value at the time being 35 million according to "Transfermarkt". However, Gelson struggled to adapt to coach Diego Simeone's style, leading him to leave for Monaco before settling at Greek club Olympiacos.

The newspaper pointed out that Gelson, who is 30 years old, has played 21 international matches with the Portuguese national team and participated in 59 matches with Olympiacos, emphasizing that his career did not achieve what Braida expected when he considered him a potential great winger in European football.