Arsenal defender Gabriel fought off a thug wielding a baseball bat in an attempted robbery at his home in north London, new footage has revealed.
The Brazilian star and his friend, Rodrigo Tavares, were returning from a night out when they were pursued by a gang of masked and hooded criminals into the garage of the footballer's home in Barnet.
One of the crew, Abderaham Muse, is seen holding a baseball bat menacingly above his head as he demands the keys to Gabriel’s £45,000 ($60,000) Mercedes as well as his mobile phone and watch.
Footage from Metropolitan Police shows Muse lunging at the 23-year-old star, who responds by striking him in the face and grappling with him in the far corner of the garage.
The 6ft 2in Gabriel managed to grab the thief’s hat in the scuffle before Muse ran off. His accomplice also made his escape along with another member of the gang who was stationed outside. Neither of the other pair has been caught.
The incident happened in August but footage has only just emerged after Muse, 26, was jailed for five years last month when police used DNA from the hat to link him to the scene.
“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,” prosecutor Martin Lewis told Harrow Crown Court.
Judge Anupama Thompson said Gabriel had not been targeted because he was a Premier League footballer, but simply because he appeared to be wealthy.
“There was a realization this person was wealthy and worthy of robbing,” said the judge as she jailed Muse – who is from Tottenham – for one count of robbery and one of possession of an offensive weapon.
“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.”
The 26-year-old Muse has a host of convictions stemming back to 2009 and had previously been given a 56-month sentence for possessing heroin with intent to supply.
Gabriel has been at Arsenal since 2020 when he joined from French team Lille in a deal worth around £27 million. The Brazilian is said to pocket £50,000 a week at the Gunners.
He becomes the latest Arsenal star to be targeted by criminals in the UK capital.
The most infamous case involved Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac in 2019 when the pair were attacked by knife-wielding thugs on mopeds as they drove through Hampstead.
Kolasinac managed to fight off the robbers, who were later jailed after they admitted to trying to steal watches worth £200,000 from the footballers. Ozil has since left Arsenal and now plays for Fenerbahce in Turkey.