Tottenham Hotspur right-back, Emerson Royal escaped death while on an international break in his home country, Brazil.
The 23-year-old right-back decided to travel to his country after a productive 2021-2022 season at Tottenham Hotspur. During his stay in the country, he decided to visit New Trips nightclub in Americana, the north of São Paulo.
After partying at the nightclub, Emerson Royal stepped out of the club in the middle of the night. He came across a Brazilian policeman who was off-duty and decided to take pictures with him.
During that period, a thief approached the Tottenham Hotspur footballer with a gun and directed him to release his personal belongings. Before the thief could make progress, the police officer attacked the thief which forced the thief to flee away.
The thief had to run away and the police ran after him while they exchanged gunfire. Reports in Brazil claimed that 29 shots were fired between the police and the thief.
The thief was injured which enabled the police to apprehend him. A police report confirmed that the thief is in their custody and his life is not in danger. As for Emerson Royal, he left the scene of the attack unharmed.
Afterward, Emerson Royal took to his Instagram story to appreciate the policeman that rescued him at the hands of the armed thief.
“I will be forever grateful to you,” Emerson Royal wrote on his Instagram story on Friday, June 3, 2022.
“God sends angels to earth, this is confirmed every day in my life. This human being, I call him an angel, risked his own life to save mine.”
While Emerson Royal’s father and agent, Emerson Zulu told the Globo Esporte newspaper that the scene of the incident was horrific.
“I was celebrating and on the way out, this whole affair happened, which was very bad,” he said. “A horror scene indeed. I don’t wish that on anyone.”
Emerson Zulu added that the “thief asked [Royal] for his watch and other personal objects”.
Note that Emerson Royal joined Tottenham Hotspur on August 31, 2021, from FC Barcelona for a transfer fee worth €25 million. Since then, Emerson has scored a goal and provided an assist in 44 games in all competitions.
