Gabriel Barbosa Almeida (born 30 August 1996), commonly known as Gabigol or Gabi, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro.

[3] On 25 September 2012, he signed a professional contract, with a €50 million buyout clause,[4] and made his first team debut on 17 January of the following year, in a friendly match against Grêmio Barueri.

[8] He signed a new five-year deal with the club on 23 September,[9] and finished the season with 21 goals, ten ahead of high-spending Leandro Damião.

On 24 April he scored a double in a 2–2 home draw against Palmeiras (3–2 win on penalties), as his side reached the finals of the Paulistão for the eight consecutive time.

[12] On 22 September 2016, the club officially introduced Gabigol as an Inter player in the auditorium Pirelli with a media show: the striker entered the press room after a video showing him below the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and then on Milan rooftops, clearly evoking the spot Inter had realized to introduce Il Fenomeno Ronaldo in the past.

[16] He made his debut on 12 September in a UEFA Champions League match against CSKA Moscow, replacing Álex Grimaldo in the 77th minute.

[17] Gabriel made his Primeira Liga debut in a 2–1 loss at Boavista on 16 September 2017; he replaced Andrija Zivkovic, again in the 77th minute.

Flamengo won the 2019 Campeonato Carioca with Gabriel scoring 7 goals in 12 matches, also being selected to the tournament team of the year.

Gabriel issued a statement denying the allegations stating he has "never tried to obstruct or defraud any test" and that he plans to appeal the decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

[38][39] On April 30, 2024, CAS stayed the execution of the ban and cleared Gabriel to play, pending an appeal hearing and conclusion of the arbitration.

[44] He was the competition's top scorer,[45] but missed the final 2–0 win over Levante due to a dismissal in the previous game against Argentina.

On 26 March 2016, Gabriel received his first call up to the full squad, replacing suspended Neymar for a 2018 World Cup Qualifier against Paraguay.

On 5 May 2016, Gabriel was called up by manager Dunga to participate in the Copa América Centenario to be held in the United States, describing the call-up as a "dream".

Considered to be a talented prospect, Gabriel is known for his technical skills, creativity and use of tricks on the ball; due to his flair and flamboyant playing style, he was dubbed the "next Neymar" by the media in 2016.

South American football expert Tim Vickery was damning with his verdict: “He’s 25 already, he had one go already in Europe with Inter Milan and Benfica, and it was an absolute disaster.