Manchester City’s Matheus Nunes arrested in Madrid after ‘stealing phone’ from fan in toilets

Manchester City and Portugal international Matheus Nunes was reportedly arrested by Spanish police early in September after stealing a phone from a fan in a nightclub.

The incident is said to have taken place during the last international break when Matheus Nunes was excluded from action with Roberto Martinez’s Portugal national team following a slow start to the ongoing season.

It is widely expected that Nunes will take on growing responsibility in the first-team set-up in the coming weeks and months as Manchester City look to come to terms with the extended absence of defensive midfield mainstay Rodri.

The injury to Kevin De Bruyne has further restricted Manchester City’s central options for the time being, and as such Matheus Nunes was presented with the opportunity to star for the club in the UEFA Champions League win over Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday night.

But the morning after the dominant 0-4 victory in Slovakia has seen the player’s commendable performances overshadowed by a report emerging from Spain concerning his personal life and an incident that took place last month.

According to the information of Spanish newspaper El Mundo, as translated and relayed by the Daily Mail, Manchester City’s Matheus Nunes was arrested on suspicion of stealing a mobile phone in a Madrid nightclub at around 5:30AM on September 8.

The 26-year-old is said to have been taken to a local police station for questioning, after he was accused of taking a phone from a 58-year-old man who had tried to take a photo of the City midfielder without permission in the nightclub toilets of La Riviera in Madrid. 

The report claims Nunes snatched the phone in anger and refused to return it, with police subsequently confirming he still had the phone in his possession, handcuffing the footballer and taking him to a National Police station in the Madrid neighbourhood of Arganzuela. 

Following intervention from a lawyer, Matheus Nunes was subsequently released but El Mundo reports that he is now expected to face charges and trial over the incident that occurred during the September international break.

Manchester City and Matheus Nunes will return to England from Slovakia on Wednesday afternoon, before building their preparations for the Premier League meeting with Fulham at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.