Gunners Fans Concerned After Arsenal Defender Gabriel Assaulted by Masked Thugs
09:47 GMT 01.12.2021 (Updated: 11:43 GMT 10.12.2022)
© AFP 2023 / JUSTIN TALLIS
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Brazilian defender Gabriel dos Santos Magalhaes, popularly known as Gabriel, is not the first Premier League footballer to have been attacked this year. In March, Sheffield United goalkeeper Robin Olsen and his family were confronted by machete-wielding raiders in their Manchester home.
Fans have expressed concern after Arsenal centre-back Gabriel was subjected to a horrific attack by a masked thief armed with a baseball bat, several reports said.
The 23-year-old, however, fought off the robber who was trying to steal his $60,000 car from his garage.
Gabriel fighting off two men trying to rob his watch and car maddd #Gabriel #Arsenal pic.twitter.com/Yj9HRBb33L
— solzz99 (@solzz99) November 30, 2021
🚨🚨 Arsenal defender Gabriel fights off a baseball bat wielding attacker in an attempted armed robbery at his home!
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) November 30, 2021
The attacker was a Tottenham fan and has been sentenced to jail for 5-years!
Gabriel Magalhaes dominating attackers is not a new story lollololhttps://t.co/MfFVMlZSdt
— Le Grove (@LeGrove) November 30, 2021
Nah no way this tottenham fan bottled robbing Arsenal’s Gabriel 😭 pic.twitter.com/hzSUF1uXJL
— Jacob 🎄❄️ (@LFCjxcob) November 30, 2021
First Kolasinac and now Gabriel. It's like these robbers pick literally the worst Arsenal players to steal from. Glad Gabi's all good anyway. https://t.co/sE1eYn3Gxu
— Sam (@SamHart_AFC) November 30, 2021
According to The Daily Mail, the Gunners star and his friend were returning home after a night out when they were followed by a pair of men who confronted them and demanded the footballer hand over his car keys, watch, and cell phone.
In the dramatic scenes captured on CCTV, hooded thief Abderaham Muse is seen lunging at Gabriel with the baseball bat but the footballer shows immense courage to first punch the attacker in the face before wrestling with him. Eventually, the robber runs off.
According to the police, Muse was sentenced to five years in prison last month after he was identified with the help of DNA from his hat, which he left behind after his scuffle with Gabriel.
The incident took place in August but the media only picked up on it on Thursday after court documents revealed that the footballer had suffered a "great deal of shock" due to the attack.
"No injuries were suffered but a great deal of shock was caused. They happened to pick on two victims who were very fit and able to look after themselves," Martin Lewis, prosecuting, told Harrow Crown Court.
"While you didn't specifically target the victim on account of him being a well-known footballer, there was a realisation this person was wealthy and worthy of robbing," Judge Anupama Thompson told Muse. "You saw a nice car and a nice house and thought it was rich pickings. Fortunately, thanks to the brave actions of the people you targeted, no further damage was done," she added.
Muse, who is reportedly a Tottenham supporter, has a criminal history; he was convicted in 2009 for illegal possession of a weapon, while he was also sentenced to 56 months in jail for possession of drugs, namely heroin, with the intention to supply.
