Professional Football Players Syndicate nominates Alvalade starlet

Gelson Martins has been one of Alvalade's top performers so far this season, so it comes as little surprise that the Sporting sensation scooped the Professional Football Players Syndicate's Liga NOS Young Player of the Month award for August and September, ahead of André Silva and Gonçalo Guedes.

The winner of the award is named after scores from the daily sports newspapers (A Bola, O Jogo and Record) and the Professional Football Players Syndicate.

Portugal put six past Andorra in World Cup qualifier

The Portuguese national team sealed a first win in their World Cup qualification campaign this Friday with an emphatic win against Andora (6-0). Ronaldo fired in four, while João Cancelo and André Silva also found the back of the net.

Sporting's Gelson Martins made his first senior international appearance, coming on as a substitute in the 72nd minute for Pepe.

Fellow Alvalade star Rui Patrício completed the full 90 minutes, while William Carvalho featured in the squad but did not play.

Gelson Martins picked to speak for the national team

Portugal's latest sensation, Gelson Martins, left the Sporting Academy this week on his way to represent the Portugal senior team for the first time.

"We still haven't had time to study the opposition yet, because we only arrived yesterday. It will be a tough two matches, against two teams that sit back in defence. In theory they are good opponents for us, but in practice it is never like that", said the Alvalade youngster in an interview with the press, going on to explain his choice to play for Portugal ahead of an invitation from  Cape Verde: "I have played for Portugal since the under-18 team and it has been a long road, but it was natural for me to play for Portugal."

Gelson's form has been attracting a lot of attention, including rumoured interest from Barcelona. "I am not thinking about it. I have nothing to say about it honestly", he added.

Jorge Jesus looks ahead to Saturday's visit to Guimarães

Sporting will travel to Guimarães tomorrow for what is always a tricky encounter. While Sporting have been in blistering form, Vitória are having a solid start to the campaign, having tallied 10 points. 

Jorge Jesus proved well aware of the difficulties awaiting, but guaranteed that his team have done their homework in preparation to go for the three points: "We have to be as careful as possible when traveling to Guimarães. It is a hard stadium to go to and win, but we are ready for what they will throw at us. Our objective is the three points."

Gelson Martins was also an inevitable talking point in the day's press conference, after the youngster was given his first international senior cap. "Gelson had a great season last year and this year he is making a name for himself, but he still has a long way to go. He is a young lad who knows how good he is and right now he is the only player in Portugal who can bring magic, creativity, speed and the positioning he has learnt at Sporting. It won't be long before Rúben Semedo is called up as well", finished Jesus.

Gelson Martins ecstatic with first senior international cap

Gelson Martins was named with the nation's stars for the first time this week, included in Portugal's squad list for two coming internationals.

"I feel proud. I am still only 21 and I want to carry on growing, but this is really important for me", said Gelson at the news of his inclusion, adding: "This was one of my objectives. First I had to play well for Sporting and then I could represent my country. I have learnt a lot (with Jorge Jesus) and he has been really important for me."

Fernando Santos names quad for matches with Andorra and Faroe Islands

Fernando Santos has named a squad of 24 for the coming matches against Andorra (7th of October) and the Faroe Islands (10th of October).

The big news is Gelson Martins first senior international call up, after the youngster's brilliant start to the season.

Gelson Martins on Sporting's return to winning form

Gelson Martins was once again the fire in Sporting's belly this Friday, this time with a superb performance out wide against an Estoril side that struggled to deal with the speedy youngster.

"It was a good win after two losses. We started well and we looked good for the most part. The fans really help us and they have stuck with us", said Gelson at the final whistle, adding a word on the coming Champions League hosting of Legia Warsaw: "We want the win, just like we always do."

Gelson Martins on Sporting's performance against Real Madrid on Wednesday night

Gelson Martins has been without doubt one of Sporting's star performers under the watchful eye of Jorge Jesus and he certainly didn't disappoint with his showing against Real Madrid.

Reflecting on his side's performance in the Spanish capital, the skillful youngster affirmed: "Of course the team if frustrated with the result. We started well and took control. We showed that we are not inferior and that we could have won. It was hard to take those two goals. We thought we controlled the game and had done enough to win. We trained hard for the game and we knew what we had to do. A win or draw would have been nice, but we still have a long way to go."

Gelson Martins on Sporting's 2-1 win against FC Porto on Sunday night

Gelson Martins was the player chosen to speak with the press after Sporting's 2-1 win against Fc Porto this Sunday and the Alvalade younger was more than clear on his interpretation of the encounter: "It was a deserved win. We didn't start well, but we improved and had a good game overall."

Avoiding commenting on the sending off of Jorge Jesus, Gelson added a word on how the season has been developing so far: "We have made a good start, but it is still really early in the season. We still have a lot of matches to play and we have to make sure we don't get carried away. I hope this season is the big one for me and that is what I am working hard every day for."

Rui Jorge names squad of 23 for Euro 2017 qualifiers

Rúben Semedo, Gelson Martins, Iuri Medeiros, Carlos Mané, Francisco Geraldes and Tobias Figueiredo all feature in the latest Portuguese under-21 squad list.

Rui Jorge's squad will face Israel (2nd of September) and Greece (6th of September) in a pair of Euro 2017 qualifiers.

Squad list in full:

Goalkeepers:

André Moreira (Atlético Madrid)

Bruno Varela (V. Setúbal)

Joel Pereira (Manchester United)

Defenders:

Edgar Ié (Villarreal)

Fernando Fonseca (FC Porto)

Paulo Henrique (P. Ferreira)

Rúben Semedo (Sporting)

Simão Azevedo (Sp. Braga)

Tobias Figueiredo (on loan from Sporting CP to Nacional)

Yuri Ribeiro (Benfica)

Midfielders:

André Horta (Benfica)

Bruno Fernandes (Sampdoria)

Francisco Geraldes (on loan from Sporting CP to Moreirense)

João Carvalho (Benfica)

Rúben Neves (FC Porto)

Tomás Podstawski (FC Porto)

Forwards:

Carlos Mané (Sporting)

Diogo Jota (Atlético Madrid)

Gelson Martins (Sporting)

Gonçalo Guedes (Benfica)

Gonçalo Paciência (FC Porto)

Iúri Medeiros (Sporting)

Ricardo Horta (Sp. Braga)