Tottenham Hotspur defender Emerson Royal has thanked an off-duty Brazilian police officer who rescued him from an attempted armed robbery in Sao Paulo.
Royal, 23, was taking photos with the officer outside a nightclub moments before being targeted by the thief, who drew a gun and demanded his belongings.
Police said the officer pursued the assailant and exchanged fire with him, while the footballer escaped unharmed.
"I will be forever grateful to you," Royal wrote in an Instagram post.
"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," the Brazilian right-back added.