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A Premier League footballer has had a [lucky / luckily] escape thanks to the [heroic / heroically] efforts of an off-duty police officer in Brazil. Brazilian fullback Emerson Royal, 23, was [on / in] holiday in the Brazilian city of Sao Paolo. He was outside a nightclub taking photos with the police officer. He was suddenly [accustomed / accosted] by the thief, who was armed with a handgun. The would-be [assailant / assault] demanded Mr Royal's watch and other [belongs / belongings] . Fortunately for Royal, the police officer sprang [into / onto] action and chased the thief down the street. The two became involved [in / on] a 29-shot gunfight. The footballer escaped unharmed, but was [shaken / shook] by the attempted robbery. The police officer was shot in the back, but is now [recovery / recovering] in hospital.

Mr Royal, a defender for the London club Tottenham Hotspur, said he would be [eternally / eternal] grateful for the officer's heroics. He wrote: "God sends angels [to / in] Earth. This is confirmed every day in my life. This human being...risked his own life to [save / safety] mine." Royal's father described the event [was / as] a "horror scene". He said he would not wish [thus / such] a thing [in / on] anyone. He added: "I don't remember well. It all happened in a [flash / flesh] and the adrenaline was running." High profile footballers have become a target for [criminals / criminal] in recent years. The website "Insider" reported there have been more than 20 assaults [in / on] and robberies of soccer stars and their families across Europe's top leagues [for / since] 2019.