Manchester City midfielder Matheus Nunes has reportedly been arrested in Madrid for stealing a mobile phone at a popular nightclub.
The 26-year-old Portuguese international was taken into custody in the early hours of September 8 at the La Riviera nightclub, according to reports.
Spanish media outlet El Mundo claims the incident occurred around 5:30 a.m., when Nunes allegedly took a mobile phone from a 58-year-old man.
The man had reportedly attempted to photograph the footballer without his consent in the nightclub’s restroom, leading to a confrontation.
Born in Brazil but represented Portugal internationally, Nunes is said to have angrily snatched the phone and refused to return it.
Police were called to the scene after the altercation and reportedly confirmed that Nunes still had the phone.
He was then arrested on the spot, handcuffed, and transported to a local police station in the Arganzuela district of Madrid for further questioning.
The footballer was released a few hours later after a lawyer intervened on his behalf. El Mundo also reported that Nunes is expected to face charges and go to trial over the incident.
A spokesperson for Madrid’s National Police confirmed the arrest of a Portuguese man at the nightclub on suspicion of mobile phone theft but did not explicitly confirm Nunes’ identity.
However, they did state that the individual arrested was born in 1998, the same year Nunes was born.
A source familiar with the case said, “This matter will now be resolved by way of a trial in court.” Manchester City has yet to comment on the incident.
Nunes was reportedly in Madrid during the international break after not being called up to Portugal’s national squad. He returned to play for Manchester City shortly after the incident, making a late appearance off the bench in their 2-1 win over Brentford. While he did not feature in City’s recent Premier League games against Arsenal and Newcastle, he played the full 90 minutes in their Champions League victory against Slovan Bratislava.
Nunes joined Manchester City from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a £53 million transfer last year. Since his arrival, he has made 35 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s team, scoring one goal and providing six assists.
