Former Arsenal misfit Andre Santos has detailed the 125 miles per hour police chase that resulted in him being arrested and senior players such as Mikel Arteta exploding at him.
Santos joined the Gunners from Fenerbahce in August 2011 for just over £5million, but struggled to break into Arsene Wenger ’s team, making 33 appearances in all competitions across 18 months.
He was shipped off on loan to Gremio in the January transfer window of 2013, before joining Flamengo on a permanent deal in the summer of the same year.
His time at the Emirates Stadium was marred by several incidents, including when he swapped shirts with former Arsenal captain Robin van Persie at half-time of a game against Manchester United.
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Arguably his most controversial moment came when he was arrested the day before the opening game of the Premier League season, having been set to start.
Santos has now recalled that incident, describing the events that led to the police chasing him at 125mph.
“I was arrested in London going to practice. I actually had three cars when I played for Arsenal: a Smart, a Land Rover, for the family and a sports car, which I liked, the Maserati,” he told Diario do Fla.
“I would go to training with the Maserati, I would make a lot of noise, whenever the police saw me, they would stop. All right, I asked for a document.
“That day, I was going to training and there was a street that went to Arsenal's training ground, called M25. Then, new in England, everything works.
“I was with Maserati and I thought: 'I'm going to give it a go'. Quiet, sound of Belo exploding. Listening to Belo and going to practice.
“The police stopped and I didn't see it. I got into the M25 and ripped it. It was 70 mph [112 m/h, the speed limit]. I was at 125 m/h [201 km/h].”
The police were able to pull Santos over close to the Arsenal’s training ground, with the club’s senior players questioning his actions.
“Then, cutting, cutting, when I get close to the training ground, where there was a fork, I pulled over, two police cars closed me down and another arrived behind,” Santos added.
“They told me to get out of the car, I got out. She didn't even speak English. And the sound exploding with Belo.
“I said I wasn't a criminal and they searched me. The [Arsenal] guys going to practice, Giroud, Arteta: 'what did you do?’”.
Santos was forced to wait for a Portuguese groundsman to translate what the police were telling him, with the Brazilian subsequently detained for most of the day.
“I just wanted someone who spoke Portuguese to help me. Seu José, a Portuguese who worked at the training ground, took care of the fields, came and helped me,” he said.
“They arrested me, handcuffed me, put me inside the van. They said I needed someone to pick up the car and that I was going to the police station.
“I was arrested. One day before the premiere of the Premier League. I would be the holder. I stayed from 9am to 7pm.”
