Manchester City midfielder Matheus Nunes has allegedly been detained on suspicion of appropriating a mobile device in a nightclub in Madrid.
The 26-year-old Portuguese international is stated to have been apprehended at the expansive La Riviera disco and subsequently taken to a nearby police station for interrogation around 5:30 am on September 8.
The Spanish publication El Mundo reported that he was accused of seizing the phone from a 58-year-old man who attempted to photograph him without consent in the restroom of the nightclub.
Born in Brazil, Nunes is alleged to have taken the device out of anger and refused to return it.
The authorities executed the arrest after receiving a call to the establishment and confirming that the footballer still possessed the mobile phone, according to El Mundo.
The ex-Wolves athlete was reportedly handcuffed at the venue before being transported to a National Police station in Madrid’s Arganzuela district.
He was released several hours later after a lawyer intervened on his behalf.
El Mundo indicated that he is likely to face charges and a trial relating to the incident.
A representative for the National Police in Madrid stated: ‘I can confirm that a Portuguese national was arrested in the early hours of September 8 at a Madrid nightclub on suspicion of stealing another individual’s mobile phone.’
The police confirmed that the individual detained was born in 1998, the same year that Manchester City midfielder Matheus Nunes was born, but stated it could not confirm if the individual was indeed the footballer.
An informed source mentioned: ‘This matter will now be settled through a court trial.’
Metro has reached out to Manchester City for a statement.
Nunes was said to be in Madrid during the international break after not being selected for the Portuguese national team.
He came on as a substitute for Manchester City in their first match following the break, participating in the final moments of their 2-1 victory over Brentford.
Nunes remained an unused substitute in City’s last two Premier League fixtures against Arsenal and Newcastle, but he played the entire 90 minutes in their Champions League success over Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday.
Nunes joined City from Wolves last year in a transfer deal worth £53 million.
He has made 35 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s squad, scoring one goal and providing six assists.
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