Arsenal star Gabriel fought off masked thug who followed him home with baseball bat: Reports

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes was the victim of an armed robbery, as reported by the Daily Mail. A few robbers tried to take away his £45,000 Mercedes amongst other valuables.

Horrifying CCTV footage released by the Metropolitan Police shows a black Mercedes pulling into a garage. The driver was then seen getting out accompanied by another man, only to be accosted by two hooded robbers wearing masks.

It's since been established that the driver was Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhes. He was returning to his Barnet home in north London after a night out with a friend, Rofrigo Tavares.

One of the attackers, Abderaham Muse, is then seen gesturing to Gabriel to hand over his car keys, mobile phone and watch. Muse was holding a baseball bat to the defender’s face to intimidate him.

The footballer complied but Muse did not back off and lunged at his victim with the sole aim of causing bodily harm. However, in a twist of events, the in-shape Gabriel jabbed Muse in the face and wrestled him.

The thug, however, broke free before the Brazilian could get a choke hold. Subdued, Muse and his partner then ran off past a third henchman who was holding the gates open, leaving behind a hat.

Muse was jailed for five years last month after investigators placed him at the scene of the crime through DNA from his hat that fell off during the tussle.

The prosecutor, Martin Lewis, told Harrow Crown Court:

"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."

While delivering her verdict on the robbery that occurred in August, judge Anupama Thompson told Muse:

"While you didn’t specifically target the victim on account of him being a well-known footballer, there was a realization this person was wealthy and worthy of robbing."

She added:

"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."

Muse has a rather notorious rap sheet stretching back to 2009, when he was brought before the courts for possessing a prohibited weapon. The Tottenham resident was out on probation after being slapped with a 56-month sentence for 'possessing heroin with intent to supply’.

Nevertheless, Muse, 26, did not hesitate to brutally attack Gabriel. Following a reckless run-in with the law, Muse will be incarcerated after a five-year jail term for 'one count of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon'.

Judge Thompson chastened him:

"You have an appalling record for a man of 26. This was an horrific and frightening attack on a group of people who were simply coming home from a night out."

Muse's accomplices are yet to be caught.

Gabriel has been impressing for Arsenal

Gabriel Magalhaes, Martinelli and Ben White of Arsenal

After recovering from an injury that kept him out of the Summer Olympics, Gabriel was restored to Arsenal's starting 11 in September. He starred in a 1-0 home victory against Norwich.

It is hard to tell whether the incident in August rattled him because the defender has played in each and every league match since his return. Gabriel has been on a purple patch, playing 10 times and losing only once. He has seven wins and one goal to his name so far.

The same cannot be said of his Arsenal teammate Gabriel Martinelli. The forward has been restricted to just two starts and four substitute appearances in the Premier League. His lack of game time has been further dented due to the impressive form of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.

Martinelli, however, scored his only goal of the season for Arsenal in their 2-0 win against Newcastle United. He will be hoping to reclaim his spot in the team when Arsenal play Manchester United in a late kickoff tonight.