Manchester United’s former winger Nani nearly landed himself in hot water with the police after being accused of stealing a fan’s shirt.
Outside the stadium of his current club, Portuguese side C.F. Estrela da Amadora, a supporter asked the 37-year-old to sign an unofficial version of his Euro 2016 national kit, which they purchased online.
Nani – who won four Premier League titles and one Champions League crown with Man United – initially went to sign the jersey, but things are alleged to have then taken a strange turn.
He decided to take it from the supporter instead, placed it on the passenger seat of his car and then drove off – leaving the fan in complete shock.
In a now-deleted post on Reddit, Portuguese football fan
José Marques went into detail about what happened and even posted a video of the exchange taking place.
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Nani has since responded via a statement from his representatives, admitting that he overreacted out of ’emotion’, thinking it was a meaningful shirt from his collection.
It is claimed a number of his match-worn jerseys were previously stolen, including the one he wore as he scored the goal to put Portugal into the Euro 2016 final… a tournament they would go on to win.
The Reddit post explaining what happened read: “Good evening… unfortunately today an athlete from Estrela da Amadora stole a shirt from me that was meant to be autographed by him.
“About three or four weeks ago, I was browsing Vinted and found an UNOFFICIAL match shirt [not worn by him], but it had the patches applied to make it look like a match shirt.
“The seller clearly stated that it wasn’t official, nor was it worn in a match. I bought the shirt and received it on Wednesday. Excited, today, Thursday, I went to the Estrela da Amadora stadium after training to get his autograph.
“As soon as he saw it, he immediately asked where it came from and where I got it from. I consistently explained that I had bought it and even showed proof that it had nothing to do with him or his belongings.
“He grabbed the shirt, asked to take it off my hanger, then put it on the passenger seat of his car, rolled up the window, and drove off.
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“For a few minutes, I was in complete shock at what had just happened…
“The people around me said they would have gone straight to the police. So that’s what I did. And some even recorded videos and gave me their contact details to serve as witnesses.
“I just froze there for a moment. I went to the police, filed a report, and now I have the case number.
“I fully intend to get the shirt back, or at the very least, my money. What can I do at this point? I know where he’ll be tomorrow. Should I call the police and have them confront him to get my shirt back?
“I’m feeling really down and have no idea what to do… (P.S. I have video footage of Nani taking the shirt, putting it in his car, and driving off.)”
In response, Nani’s team released a statement regarding the scenes, saying the ex-Premier League star will contact the fan to clarify the situation and, presumably, give the shirt back.
Hopefully with his signature on it.
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“Following a situation that occurred yesterday after training which has a video published online, player Luís Nani is sorry about the misunderstanding and embarrassment caused to the fan,” the statement read, as reported by Portuguese outlet Record.
“The shirt in question was recognised by Nani as being an official shirt from his private collection, which had previously been stolen. At the time, several of these appeared for sale online but it was not possible for the player to recover all of the shirts in question.
“The shirt the player kept in his possession yesterday after the fan asked for an autograph, as is visible in the video in question, was collected for a check, in order to determine whether or not it was the shirt stolen from his private collection.
“After taking the shirt, Nani asked the fan about where he acquired the shirt and guaranteed that it would be given back to him, if he could confirm that it wasn’t his.
“Due to it being an item of high emotional value to the player, seeing as it was the shirt used in the game that qualified Portugal to the Euro 2016 final, in which Nani scored a goal, the player reacted in an emotional way by wanting to confirm that it wasn’t the one stolen from him.
“As soon as the situation is resolved, Nani will contact the fan, as he told him when the situation happened.”
However, Mr Marques returned to Reddit on Friday afternoon that the situation has not been resolved.
He also accused a club director of telling him to delete his post and video in the promise that a solution would be found, yet he is still waiting to be contacted about the shirt – which he bought from Vinted for €150.
