Pablo Mari's wife Veronica Chapon has spoken of her horror after she witnessed a man die in the same attack that saw her husband stabbed on Thursday evening.
Arsenal defender Mari was one of six people attacked by a 46-year-old man in a Carrefour near Milan. The attacker is believed to have picked up a knife from one of the shelves in the supermarket before brave shoppers intervened to detain him. All six people were airlifted to hospital, but one man - a store cashier - died as a result of the injuries he sustained.
It has since been confirmed that Mari is not in serious condition, but the 29-year-old is due to undergo surgery on Friday after suffering a deep cut to his back. The defender, who is currently on loan at Serie A outfit Monza, was shopping with his wife and son at the time of the attack.
And Mari's father, who spoke to Veronica following the incident, has revealed that his daughter-in-law was left horrified after witnessing another victim of the attack die.
Mari's father told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope on Thursday night: "These have been very worrying hours for us. They started calling me at 8pm and my heart has skipped a beat.
"Veronica has not told us how it happened, but she has told us that she has seen a person die in front of her. She has reassured us confirming that they are fine and that everything has been a fright for them."
Monza CEO Adriano Galliani and coach Raffaele Palladino immediately travelled to visit Mari in the hospital after the incident.
According to a fresh report from Gazzetta Dello Sport, Mari is quoted to have told Galliani and Palladino: "I was with the trolley with my child inside and I felt an excruciating pain in my back. Then that man stabbed another in the throat. I had suerte [luck]. I saw a person die in front of me."
Galliani also spoke about the incident, saying: "Pablo is an amazing guy. He had the strength to joke, telling me that he will be on the field on Monday. I brought him greetings from President Berlusconi and everyone. The comrades, who would have liked to come here even though, obviously, it was not possible."
In another update, Galliani also confirmed that the person who sadly died during the attack was a cashier at the supermarket. Speaking to TG2, he said: "Unfortunately, I received terrible news, the store cashier died.
"As for Pablo Marì he had a fairly deep wound on his back, a penetrating one, which however did not touch vital organs such as lungs or others. His life is not in danger. He certainly has problems but he should recover quickly despite some injured muscles."
