Remember Andre Santos? The formerly promising and now former Arsenal defender -- who last wore the #11 jersey before one Mesut Özil snatched up the unusually available number -- has had a harrowing week, according to a sad but compelling article in this morning's Guardian.
According to the article, Santos' Flamengo team was thrashed 4-0 by Internacional on July 20, a result leaving them at the bottom of the table. A group of fans attacked him post-game, kicking him and punching him (according to a Daily Mail article) as he was leaving the stadium's dressing room. Two days after the incident, Flamengo's top brass piled on by releasing the 31-year-old left back.
His Twitter account has been understandably silent since July 16, though a recent tweet shows one classy act by a photogenic former teammate, and Santos taking to Twitter for an equally classy thank you:
Thanks for the gift, wish you all the very best #BestStriker #FLAlemanha #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/s3nIRId5C7
— André Santos (@Andre_Santos27) July 13, 2014
The Guardian article points out that Santos' two years at the club was far from successful. Their painful summation:
The Brazilian’s two-year spell at the club, between 2011 and 2013 included 13 Premier League starts, one attempted high-speed getaway on the M25 and one ill-advised half-time shirt swap with Robin van Persie. All in all, not a great return for the £6m Arsène Wenger paid to secure the defender’s services from Fenerbahce.
Still, though, let's hope it turns around for the former Gunner. Fan-on-player violence is loathsome, and no one -- especially anyone associated with our beloved Arsenal -- should suffer that.