Former Arsenal footballer 'joins Jihadi fighters waging war in Syria'

A former Arsenal star is thought to have joined a band of ruthless Jihadi fighters waging war in Syria.

The gun-toting fanatic is said to have grown up playing with Real Madrid galactico Cristiano Ronaldo.

The militia man turned his back on a footballer's playboy lifestyle after becoming radicalised two years ago, it is claimed

He is filmed wielding an AK47 and proclaiming holy war in two terror videos on an extremist website.

Fellow jihadists say the fighter - who now calls himself Abu Issa Al-Andalusi - was brought up in Portugal before signing for the Gunners.

In the footage he appears in a mask calling on Muslims to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) - an al-Qaeda off-shoot group behind murders and beheadings.

The faction has been blamed for extreme violence against other Islamist groups, Kurds and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime.

The fanatic says: “It’s very important for you to protect your children from these animals, from these dirty people; Allah says they are the worst of creatures.”

One of the videos acts as a recruiting call for supporters in the Ukraine.

The ex-Premier League footballer says “we are in need of all kinds of help in fighting the enemy”.

He boasts: “We have conquered many cities and we are now implementing the sharia. We have areas where the kaffirs [non-Muslims] are paying us the tax.”

The man is introduced in a subtitle by his new name. He appears to be in his late 20s as he speaks calmly on a bridge in front of a serene lake.

But his words, spoken in English in a heavy Portuguese or southern European accent, contain a message of hatred far removed from the world of sport.

He says: “If you have family in these [western] countries what is going to happen probably.

“You don’t have control over your children. Maybe in some of countries it’s a must for you to put your children in the kaffir schools.

“Who is going to teach your children? It’s going to maybe be a gay, maybe a drug dealer, maybe a paedophile.

“It’s very important for you to protect your children from these animals, from these dirty people Allah says they are the worst of creatures. So you prefer to live among the worst of creatures rather than among the Mujahideen?”

Worrying goal: The Jihadist makes disturbing claims in the video

The videos were first posted on jihadi website FiSyria.com.

In a post, an alleged member of ISIS says: “He grew up with Ronaldo, played for Arsenal, and [then] left football, money and the European way of life for the sake of Allah.”

The Russian website claims that the player was brought up in Portugal, adding: “He played for Arsenal in London, [but] realised that [kind of] life was not for him, [so] he left everything and set out for jihad two years ago.”

However, ISIS did not confirm his previous name.

The Middle East Media Research Institute, which works with the US government on counter-terrorism, gave weight to the credibility of the website.

A spokesman said: “It has been active for a couple of years now, bringing reports about the activities of jihadi groups in Syria to Russian speakers.

“At least some of the people behind the site are in Syria themselves.

“The site regularly brings videos from the field showing video messages and talks of jihad fighters, news reports, scenes and footage of combat, and general jihadi material.

“The site clearly supports the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).”

A spokesman for the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said: “There are thousands of foreign fighters in Syria from all over the world.

“But at present there is no information about a footballer who played for Arsenal.”

Another former professional footballer, Nizar Trabelsi, who had played in Germany for Fortuna Dusseldorf, was lined up for terror attacks after joining al-Qaeda.

The Tunisian was caught and jailed for 10 years before he could carry out the plots, including an attack on the US Embassy in Paris.

The ranks of ISIS also included Londoner Abu Suleiman al-Britani, who rammed a truck into a Syrian prison to allow hundreds of prisoners to escape.

Arsenal have launched an investigation into the claims.

A spokesman said: “We do not recognise the individual from the published clips and we don’t have any record of a Abu Isa al-Andalusi representing the club at any level.”

Fanatical football

Osama bin Laden was an Arsenal fan during his time living in London.

Fans even used to chant: “Osama, woah-woah, Osama, woah-waoh, he’s hiding in Kabul, he loves the Arsenul”.

The figurehead for global terror was said to have attended a number of matches at Highbury while living in the capital in the 1990s.

He watched the Gunners’ run to the European Cup Winners’ Cup final in the 1993/94 season, according to author Adam Robinson.

Bin Laden was also said to have bought his eldest son, Abdullah, an Ian Wright replica shirt.

Arsenal enacted a ban in when the reports first emerged in late 2001.

A club spokesman said: “We’ve seen the reports in the papers. Clearly he wouldn’t be welcome at Highbury in the future.”