Pablo Mari of Arsenal has stated that he is ‘fortunate to be alive’ after surviving yesterday’s stabbing spree in a Milan supermarket; he will undergo surgery today for the knife cut in his back.
The defender, who was on loan to Italian club Monza from a club in north London, was one of five injured in the attack, while one person was killed in a Carrefour supermarket at the Milanofiori di Assago shopping mall.
The 29-year-old told Gazzetta dello Sport, “Today I was fortunate, as I witnessed a person pass away in front of me.”
Adriano Galliani, the chief of Monza, stated that a 30-year-old cashier assistant was fatally stabbed while Mari was hit in the face and stabbed in the back.
Although the football player’s injuries are not life-threatening, he was still receiving medical care at the Niguarda hospital in Milan.
After seeing Mari in the hospital late Thursday, Monza CEO Adriano Galliani remarked, “He told me he had “suerte” (luck) since “today I witnessed someone else die.”
Galliani disclosed that the athlete was standing next to his wife Veronica and four-year-old kid Pablo in a shopping cart when he “felt something horrible” and realized he had been stabbed. Mr. Galliani claimed that the family then observed the attacker slit someone’s throat, characterizing the incident as “very unsettling.”
Galliani stated of Mari’s 6-foot-4 height, ‘His height definitely saved him.’ He was struck in the back and then witnessed a criminal stab someone in the throat.
Approximately 6.30 p.m. on Thursday, a 46-year-old man reported to have mental health concerns seized a knife from the shelves and began hitting people with it. Police have eliminated terrorism as a possible motive.
Mari has a ‘pretty severe wound’ on his back, but the knife avoided his vital organs due to his 6ft 4ins height, which’saved’ him, according to Mr. Galliani. Veronica and Pablo were also witnesses to the assault, however neither was wounded.
Mari is currently hospitalized in Milan, where he will need surgery to repair muscular damage to his back, although his condition is not considered life-threatening.
Mari’s father, also named Pablo, told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope Friday night that he first learned of the event at 8 p.m. and that his son told them he was “fine” and that he “loved them very much.”
He said, ‘I knew nothing. My heart nearly stopped while I was not watching television and repeatedly received calls from family members.
‘[Veronica] merely informed us that they were transporting him to the hospital. After she said don’t call [son] Pablo, he is by her side and feeling OK, it was all a shock… and she witnessed the death of someone in front of her.
According to Riformista, Mari was walking with his wife Veronica and their son in the grocery.
The 29-year-old Spaniard, who is presently playing for the Italian club Monza on loan, was one of six individuals attacked near Milan.
Four males, ages 28, 40, and 80, were reportedly left in critical condition following the incident, while a cashier was flown to a Rozzano hospital.
Reportedly, one of the victims, a 30-year-old, has now passed away.
Two older people are reportedly in less critical condition, whereas Mari was airlifted to Niguarda Hospital and is alert.
Adriano Galliani, managing director of Monza, and Raffaele Palladino, coach, have paid him visits.
Sky Sports Italy quoted Galliani as saying, “Pablo Mari had a rather serious incision on his back, which luckily did not affect any essential organs such as his lungs or other.”
Galliani continued, “His life is not in danger, and he should recover rapidly.”
It is thought that a 46-year-old guy picked grabbed a knife from a store shelf and began randomly stabbing individuals.
He has been arrested and brought into jail by the police.
Unknown was the motive for the attacks.
LaPresse said that Italian authorities stated there was no evidence to imply terrorism.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed that the club’s technical director Edu Gaspar had contacted Mari’s family.
After Arsenal’s 2-0 loss against PSV Eindhoven, he said, “I just found out, and I know that Edu has been in contact with his family… He is in the hospital and appears to be well. I hope he’s okay.’
A statement on Arsenal’s website said, ‘We are all devastated to hear the terrible news about the stabbing in Italy, which has hospitalized several individuals, including our on-loan center-back Pablo Mari.
“We have been in contact with Pablo’s agent, who informed us that he is in the hospital and not gravely injured.” Our sympathies are with Pablo and the other victims of this heinous incident.
A statement from Monza said, ‘Pablo Mari has a serious cut on his back, but fortunately it did not reach any essential organs, such as his lungs.
His life is not in jeopardy, and he should recover rapidly. He has a small number of benign lesions. He is awake and receiving sutures.
Monza’s president, Galliani, issued the following message via the club’s official Twitter account: “Dear Pablo, we are all here with you and your family, we love you, keep fighting as you know how, you are a fighter, and you will recover soon.”
Assago’s Carabinieri police, who were conducting an investigation into the attacks, refused to provide specifics.
As the gravity of the situation became apparent, store employees lowered the store’s shutters, according to witnesses who spoke to ANSA.
The grocery chain Carrefour reported that police and medical personnel responded swiftly to calls informing them of the attack.
The company sent its condolences to staff and customers harmed by the incident and stated that it will provide them with psychological help.
A witness told La Repubblica, “We were at the bar and believed it was a robbery because we saw three boys and a woman fleeing, but as we saw more and more people with distressed expressions, we realized something grave had occurred.”
Mari joined the Serie A club on loan for the 2022-23 season in August after making 22 appearances for the Gunners.
The Spaniard initially joined Arsenal on loan from Flamengo in January 2020, before making the move permanent the following summer.
Mari played the second half of the previous season on loan at Udinese, making 15 appearances.
A statement on the club’s website read, “Everyone at Arsenal wishes Pablo success in Italy with AC Monza for this next part of his career.”
The transaction is contingent upon the conclusion of regulatory procedures.