Nani issues statement explaining why he snatched shirt from fan after former Man Utd winger 'reported to police'
Former Manchester United and Fenerbahce winger Nani has issued a statement after he was accused of stealing a fan's shirt outside the Estrela da Amadora training ground.
The 37-year-old winger, who joined hometown club Estrela in August, was asked to sign an unofficial version of the jersey worn by Portugal during Euro 2016, which was purchased on Vinted.
Instead, he allegedly grabbed the shirt before rolling up the window and driving off. The fan, who detailed his experience in a now-deleted Reddit post, said they were in "complete shock" at the events.
In fact, the owner of the shirt filed a complaint with the police.
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Here is the now-deleted post in full.
"Good evening, As the title says, unfortunately today, an athlete from Estrela da Amadora stole a shirt from me that was meant to be autographed by him.
"About three or four weeks ago, I was browsing Vinted and found an UNOFFICIAL match shirt (not worn by him), but it had the patches applied to make it look like a match shirt.
"The seller clearly stated that it wasn’t official, nor was it worn in a match. I bought the shirt and received it on Wednesday.
"Excited, today, Thursday, I went to the Estrela da Amadora stadium after training to get his autograph.
"As soon as he saw it, he immediately asked where it came from and where I got it from.
"I consistently explained that I had bought it and even showed proof that it had nothing to do with him or his belongings.
"He grabbed the shirt, asked to take it off my hanger, then put it on the passenger seat of his car, rolled up the window, and drove off.
"For a few minutes, I was in complete shock at what had just happened. Even the people around me said they would have gone straight to the police. So that’s what I did.
"And some people even recorded video and gave me their contact details to serve as witnesses.
"I just froze there for a moment. I went to the police, filed a report, and now I have the case number. I fully intend to get the shirt back, or at the very least, my money. What can I do at this point? I know where he’ll be tomorrow. Should I call the police and have them confront him to get my shirt back?
"I’m feeling really down and have no idea what to do."
The fan also mentioned that they had video footage of Nani taking the shirt.
Since those versions of events emerged, Nani's representatives have issued a statement explaining the incident.
It appears the player took the jersey in question because he thought it was the same one that had been stolen from his house in 2017.
"Following a situation that occurred yesterday after training which has a video published online, player Luís Nani is sorry about the misunderstanding and embarrassment caused to the fan," the statement read, as quoted by Portuguese publication Record.
"The shirt in question was recognised by Nani as being an official shirt from his private collection, which had previously been stolen. At the time, several of these appeared for sale online but it was not possible for the player to recover all of the shirts in question.
"The shirt the player kept in his possession yesterday after the fan asked for an autograph, as is visible in the video in question, was collected for a check, in order to determine whether or not it was the shirt stolen from his private collection. "After taking the shirt, Nani asked the fan about where he acquired the shirt and guaranteed that it would be given back to him, if he could confirm that it wasn't his.
"Due to it being an item of high emotional value to the player, seeing as it was the shirt used in the game that qualified Portugal to the Euro 2016 final, in which Nani scored a goal, the player reacted in an emotional way by wanting to confirm that it wasn't the one stolen from him."
The statement added: "As soon as the situation is resolved, Nani will contact the fan, as he told him when the situation happened."
Nani helped Portugal reach the Euro 2016 final after scoring the second goal in their 2-0 win over Wales. They went on to lift the trophy, beating tournament favourites France in extra time.
Jack Kenmare