Arsenal star Gabriel fought off a robber wielding a baseball bat who tried to steal his £45,000 Mercedes from his garage, Sportsmail can reveal.
Gabriel and a friend were followed home from a night out by two robbers who demanded the footballer’s car keys, mobile phone and watch as he got out of his vehicle.
One of the attackers, Abderaham Muse, then lunged at the Brazilian with the bat, but Gabriel struck him in the face and wrestled with him, grabbing his hat, until the robber wriggled free and ran off.
Muse, 26, was jailed for five years last month after police linked him to the robbery in August through DNA from the hat that had fallen off during the scuffle.