Arsenal squad unite in a show of support for Pablo Mari by posing with team-mate’s shirt

Arsenal have shown their support for defender Pablo Mari, who was injured during the deadly supermarket stabbing in Milan last week. 

Players and staff posed together before Sunday afternoon’s game against Nottingham Forest and help-up Mari’s number 22 shirt in support of their team-mate, who’s currently on-loan at Italian side Monza. 

Mari was one of five victims of a knife attack which took place in a Carrefour supermarket in Assago, on the outskirts of Milan, on Thursday evening. 

Mari completed a loan move to the Serie A side Monza from Arsenal at the start of the season 

The 26-year-old had to have surgery to reconstruct two injured muscles in his back and according to the club is now set to be on the sidelines for two months recovering from the aftermath of the attack. 

Checkout assistant Luis Fernando Ruggieri, 46, was fatally stabbed while Mari was punched in the face and stabbed in the back during the attack by Italian knifeman Andrea Tombolini. 

Tombolini – believed to have mental health issues – grabbed a knife from the shelves and began attacking shoppers with it. He later told police in questioning that he carried out the attacks after seeing ‘happy people’ in the supermarket. 

Arsenal defender Pablo Mari was ‘stabbed and seriously hurt’ in the Milan supermarket attack 

After the successful surgery, the Gunners on-loan defender posted on Instagram to share the news that he was ‘fine’ and to send his condolences to the other victims in the attack.

Mari said: ‘After the hard moment we experienced yesterday, both my family and I want to communicate that fortunately we are all fine despite the circumstances, and we want to thank all the messages of support and affection that we are receiving.

‘In addition, we want to send our condolences and all our strength to the family and friends of the deceased person, and we sincerely wish that all injured people recover as soon as possible.’

Arsenal’s Pablo Mari has given a thumbs up from his hospital bed after undergoing successful surgery following a stabbing frenzy in Milan

Mari joined Arsenal initially on loan from Flamengo in January 2020 before making the permanent move to north London that summer. 

He has played 19 times for the Gunners, scoring one goal, but has spent the last two season’s out on loan Italy. First with Udinese in 2021-22 and as part of Monza’s squad for the current campaign. 

Arsenal shared a statement on Thursday night following the attack on their defender. 

It read: ‘We are all shocked to hear the dreadful news about the stabbing in Italy, which has put a number of people in hospital including our on-loan centre-back Pablo Mari.

‘We have been in contact with Pablo’s agent who has told us he’s in hospital and is not seriously hurt.

‘Our thoughts are with Pablo and the other victims of this dreadful incident.’

Monza had asked the Italian football league to postpone their home game against Bologna on Monday, saying the team was in a “state of shock”, but the game is set to go ahead.