Portuguese Manchester City player, Matheus Nunes, 26 years old, was arrested last Sunday, September 8th, by the National Police at the La Riviera nightclub in Madrid for stealing a phone from someone who allegedly took a photo of him in the bathroom. The player was taken to the Arganzuela police station where he was questioned for an alleged theft, as confirmed by the Madrid Police Headquarters. Hours later, the midfielder was released pending trial.
The incident occurred around 5:30 am at the venue located near Madrid Río on Paseo Virgen del Puerto, in the Arganzuela district. Nunes was in Madrid for the weekend with some friends as his team had no matches due to the international break for the Nations League. He was not called up by Portugal for those matches either.
According to the police report, Nunes snatched the phone from a 58-year-old man in the nightclub's bathroom. What led to this incident is still unclear. Some witnesses stated that the alleged victim tried to take a photo of the player inside the restroom, and the footballer, visibly upset, took the phone from him, refusing to return it as the photo was taken without permission.
Another version suggests that the alleged victim touched the player in the bathroom while holding a mobile phone, and Nunes reacted by taking the phone, suspecting a photo was taken. The alleged victim alerted the National Police, who dispatched officers to the venue. Upon confirming that Nunes had another person's phone, and after taking the victim's statement, he was handcuffed, displaying a confrontational attitude towards the officers.
Nunes ended up in the cells at the Arganzuela police station. The player contacted his lawyer who worked to expedite his release. Eventually, on the same Sunday, the footballer, who participated in the Euro 2020 with Portugal, left the police station without facing judicial proceedings as it was a theft offense.
On Saturday, September 14th, City played against Brentford in the Premier League, winning 2-1. Nunes came on in the second half.