Arsenal star Mesut Ozil was the victim of terrifying attempted car-jacking on a London street this afternoon by a knife-wielding scooter gang.
The £300,000-a-week midfield ace was boxed in by the gang as he drove his black Mercedes G-Class 4×4 through Golders Green at 5pm.
But as the thugs surrounded the vehicle, Ozil’s Arsenal teammate and childhood friend, Sead ‘The Tank’ Kolasinac, leapt out and bravely took them on.
Meanwhile, Ozil was able to flee to a nearby restaurant where witnesses said the 30-year-old Gunners star looked ‘terrified’.
Phone footage captured the 6ft Bosnian Kolasinac squaring up to the one of the robbers whose face was obscured by a crash helmet.
As the front passenger-side door of the vehicle hangs precariously open with Mesut Ozil inside, Sead Kolasinac can be seen facing off one of the attackers who appears to be wielding a blade
The fearless 6ft fullback can be seen bravely lunging at the assailant bare-fisted as Mesut Ozil speeds off in the car
Mesut Ozil (dyed blonde hair) was pictured talking to officers outside Turkish restaurant Likya on Golders Green Road in north London after the wild attack
Mesut Ozil (far right), his wife Amine Gulse (far left) with Sead Kolasinac and his bride Bella Kolasinac on their wedding day last month in Baden, Germany
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to Turkish-German soccer player Mesut Ozil and his wife Amine Gulse during a wedding ceremony over the Bosporus in Istanbul last month
Kolasinac, 26, darts towards the front end of the Mercedes to face off an attacker as he makes sure the front passenger door is protected.
The fullback then rushes to the rear of the vehicle to steam towards an oncoming assailant who appears to be wielding a blade while wearing a motorbike helmet.
At this point Ozil is able to speed off in the £100,000 SUV as Kolasinac swings his bare-fists at the thug.
Waiters and chefs from Turkish restaurant Likya rushed to the aid of the football stars when they arrived forcing the scooter gang to flee empty handed.
Neither of the Premier League players from the north London club were harmed during the incident and did not require hospital treatment.
Financial worker Azuka Alintah, 36, told the MailOnline: ‘Ozil looked absolutely terrified, as anybody would after being chased by men with knives.
‘He looked like he was running for his life. And I suppose he was.
‘I saw him disappear into the restaurant with the motorcycle guys on his tail.
‘They didn’t take off their helmets and were all in black, wearing long sleeved tops in this hot weather. They stood out.
‘God knows what would have happened if they’d caught him. It looked to me like he’d have been hacked to shreds and he clearly thought so too.
‘As soon as the restaurant staff started to come to the window and to the doorway, they turned around and roared off.’
Kolasinac’s fearless defence of his teammate is unsurprising to many Gunners fans who saw how Ozil took the Bosniak under his wing when he joined the north London club in 2017.
Kolasinac can be seen darting from the front end of the car to the rear as he faces off the assailants while protecting the passenger side door of the SUV
Kolasinac can be seen taking on one of the attackers who wears a helmet and appears to be wielding a weapon
Fellow Gunners star Sead Kolasinac was seen warding off the attackers with his bare hands after leaping from the luxurious Mercedes
Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac in a warm up session in Los Angeles earlier this month as part of their pre-season – they had only just returned from the States last night
Mesut Oszil (dyed blonde hair) can be seen talking to officers after the attack outside a Turkish restaurant he dived into to escape
Ozil abandoned his car in the middle of the road and fled on foot, ducking into the Turkish restaurant Likya
The childhood friends are exceptionally close and last month they were pictured together at Kolasinac’s marriage to Bella, alongside Ozil’s wife Amine Gulse in Baden, Germany.
Indeed, both Bella and Amine wore wedding dresses by the same designer at their recent ceremonies. The Ozils’ wedding took place in Instanbul last month and Turkey’s President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan was his best man.
Witnesses said Ozil’s car with distinctive gold trim was left in the middle of the road with the driver’s door open.
After police arrived they blocked off the road as other units looked for the scooter gang.
The brazen attack took place near to the busy Golders Green Road in north London.
Ozil and Kolasinac had only returned to London the day before after a successful pre-season tour in America.
The pair gave statements to police before being allowed to leave.
An Arsenal spokesman confirmed the players were involved in attempted carjacking, saying: ‘We have been in contact with both players and they are fine.’
The footballers were in action just yesterday morning for the Premier League side as they played Real Madrid in 2-2 draw in Washington DC before a late night transatlantic flight.
Renowned Arsenal fan Piers Morgan tweeted: ‘Incredible guts from Sead Kolasinac – looks like he took on the whole moped/knife gang.’
Ozil is latest high profile figure to be targeted by knife wielding gangs in London.
In 2016, then West Ham forward Andy Carroll was chased by two motorcyclists, one pointing a gun at him, as he drove his Jeep Wrangler to the training ground.
They were after Carroll’s £22,000 watch but the terrified striker was able to make it to the West Ham car park as he spoke to police on the phone.
And last year, comedian Michael McIntyre was forced to hand over his expensive watch after being set upon by an armed moped gang.
A motorbike can be seen in the foreground after the attackers boxed in the SUV – Kolasinac (wearing a baseball cap) wastes no time in getting out to protect his teammate
Mesut Ozil and his wife Amine in a recent social media posting. The football star was unharmed in the attack
Mr MacIntyre had been parked outside his children’s school in Golders Green when the brazen thugs smashed up his car and stole his jewellery.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said today: ‘Police were called to Platts Lane, NW3, shortly before 5pm on Thursday, 25 July to reports of an attempted robbery.
‘It was reported that suspects on motorbikes had attempted to rob a man who was driving a car.
‘The driver, along with his passenger, managed to get away unharmed and travelled to a restaurant in Golders Green, where they were spoken to by officers. There have been no arrests. Enquiries continue.’
Did YOU witness the drama? Email ross.ibbetson@dailymail.co.uk