Pablo Mari, an Arsenal teammate who was stabbed in Italy, has received tribute from his teammates after being released from the hospital but is still expected to miss several months of play.
A knife-wielding man stabbed five people on Thursday night at a shopping center in Assago, a town outside of Milan, including the 29-year-old defender who is on loan at the Italian team Monza.
One man was killed in the incident, and Mari has described how lucky he was to survive.
Following the opening goal in their 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Arsenal players held up a shirt bearing Mari’s name and the number 22.
After being stabbed, the Spanish footballer suffered non-life-threatening wounds but required back surgery.
A man, 46, was detained in connection with the incident.
Mari has been discharged from the hospital, but Monza said in a statement that she would need “a period of absolute rest” and that she would be out for two to three months.
The team announced that the players will warm up for their home game against Bologna on Monday while wearing special shirts in honor of Mari, which bear his name on the back and the words “come back soon Pablo” on the front.
Before the game begins, there will also be a moment of silence in honor of Luis Fernando Ruggieri, the supermarket employee who died in the attack.
The Italian league denied Monza’s request to postpone the game.
Raffaele Palladino, the coach of Monza, described the past week as “very emotional.”
It was a terrible week, but it was also beautiful because it’s a miracle that what happened to Pablo wasn’t worse, he continued.
“We understood that it was our responsibility to play, to go out on the field and give everything, especially for Pablo,” they said.
On Friday, Mari posted a picture of himself and his wife in a hospital bed on social media to thank supporters.
After the difficult moment we went through yesterday, he wrote: “After the difficult 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 say thanks for all the messages of support and affection that we are receiving.