Tadic: My fight with gun thugs
FORMER Southampton star Dusan Tadic was lucky to escape serious injury after fighting off gun-toting thieves who tried to rob him outside his house in Amsterdam.
The Serbian winger, who is now the captain at Ajax, refused to surrender when armed thugs pounced on him as he returned from a local restaurant earlier this month.
He decided not to inform his team-mates of the drama as they prepared to travel to meet Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
But the 33-year-old has now spoken about the incident, which saw him pull a crash helmet off one of the robbers when they came to blows while his wife and three young children were inside.
Tadic said: “I had been to dinner with a friend at an Italian restaurant, but, when I returned home, two men tried to attack me.
“Although I was wearing a suit and shoes, I was faster, but then they grabbed their scooter and caught up with me.
“The next minute, we were having a fight. By moving left and right, I drove them apart a little. I whacked their leader first.
“The other one grabbed me from behind by my throat, but I was able to elbow him.
“It’s only in hindsight that you realise that things could have turned out very differently. But in the moment itself, you are full of adrenaline and go into battle.
“Even though they had three firearms, I would never give up my pride.”
Tadic confirmed that the protective tape he has been wearing during recent Ajax games is to protect his damaged knuckles.
He added: “This happens too often – and not only to football players.”
Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller had £500,000 of cash and valuables stolen during a burglary on his home while he was playing against Barcelona on Tuesday evening.