Dozens of shots are fired as police spots armed attacker robbing footballer Emerson Royal at gunpoint outside a nightclub in Brazil

Tottenham defender, Emerson Royal was reportedly targeted by an armed robber in Brazil in the early hours of Friday morning, June 3. 

According to O Liberal, the 23-year-old had just left a nightclub in his home city of Sao Paulo at around 3am and was taking photos with an off-duty police officer when an individual pointed a gun at him while demanding his belongings. 

 It was gathered that an officer spotted the thief and drew his gun to open fire at them, with Royal escaping unharmed. 

29 shots were reportedly fired at the assailant, one of which hit them in the back and meant they had to be taken to a nearby hospital.

The Spurs star's watch and chain were taken in the incident but recovered after the frenzied shootout. He is said to be shaken up by what happened. 

However, he was able to travel to the local police station with his father and manager to file a report.   

Royal had been out partying with his family and friends at The New Trips nightclub when the attacker approached him.  

'I was celebrating and on the way out, this whole affair happened, which was very bad,' the player's father told Globo Esporte. 'A horror scene indeed. I don't wish that on anyone.

'He [the policeman] went, as usual, with Royal to the car and when he realized there was a robbery and the criminal was pointing the gun at Emerson, at the time the criminal got distracted, the policeman started to exchange shots with him. 

'There were around five or six people with him. Each one went to a side running, dodging, because they didn't know where the shots were coming from.' 

Royal is currently on holiday back in his country after his debut campaign for Tottenham. The full-back moved to North London from Barcelona for £25.8million last summer and made 41 appearances in all competitions as Spurs qualified for next season's Champions League.