In a dramatic video that has been circulating social media, Arsenal left-back Sead Kolasinac is seen fighting off two masked and knife-wielding thugs with his bare hands, in a bid to protect his teammate Mesut Özil (who was accompanied by his wife) from attack.
Kolašinac was travelling with Arsenal midfielder Özil when the incident took place at Platts Lane, in London's Golder's Green, around 5pm. Reportedly, Özil was dropping Kolasinac to his house when the assailants arrived in mopeds and attempted to attack Özil. Kolasinac lept out of the car and adopted a fighting pose, fending off one of the thugs even as the latter struck at him with a knife.
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Özil, who had his wife with him, sped off in the car and was pursued by the attackers to a nearby Turkish restaurant, Likya, where locals banded together to protect him.
The two players are reportedly safe, according to a statement by Arsenal. London's Metropolitan Police responded with a statement, "It was reported that suspects on motorbikes had attempted to rob a man who was driving a car. The driver, along with his passenger, managed to get away unharmed and travelled to a restaurant in Golders Green, where they were spoken to by officers."
Local news reports said the attackers pursued Özil into the restaurant.
You can watch the footage of Kolasinac defending Mesut Özil here:
Sead Kolasinac joined Arsenal in 2017 on a free transfer. In real life as well as on the field, he plays a defensive position. Once it was clear that the beloved players were safe, Twitter was quick to fill with memes about Kolašinac's heroic act.
One cartoonist has already made a depiction of the event.
Kolasinac's many nicknames include 'the Destroyer', 'the tank' and 'the hulk' on account of his aggressive playing style and large frame. In international football, he plays for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
In 2018, Özil had announced his retirement from international football citing racial harassment. In his 2,820 word letter, he mentioned how he had received 'hate mail', 'threatening calls' and worse after photos of him meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan went public. Following his retirement, Özil invited Erdogan to be the best man at his wedding, an act that added fuel to the criticism of his ties with the leader.