ENGLAND ace Ivan Toney was arrested over an alleged headbutt and led out of a trendy London bar in handcuffs.
Dramatic video captured the moment the £40million star was nicked in the packed Soho venue early on Saturday.
Trouble was said to have erupted when the fan grabbed the 29-year-old forward for a selfie.
A witness out for a drink with his girlfriend told The Sun: “He walked past a table of a group of lads.
“One of them recognised him and said, ‘Oh, it’s Ivan Toney’ and tried to put his hands around his neck to get a photo with him.
“And then Toney has said, ‘Get off me, get off me’ and ended up headbutting one of the guys.”
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He said the alleged victim was left with “blood leaking from the bridge of his nose”.
He might have thought they were trying to attack him to take his chain or watch off him.
Witness
The witness said former Brentford star Toney — who moved to Saudi club Al-Ahli for £40million last year — may have felt threatened by the group.
He added: “He’s a superstar — he gets half a million a week in Saudi Arabia.
“He had his jewellery on and he had a real nice watch.
“He might have thought they were trying to attack him to take his chain or watch off him.”
He said police arrived within half an hour, and went on: “We noticed about five officers in uniform walking down the stairs.
“And then they’ve gone over to Ivan Toney’s table and asked his name.
“He’s given his name and they said, ‘You’re under arrest for assault’ and then they put his hands behind his back in cuffs and off he went.”
The onlooker said police were still parked outside the club — 100 Wardour St in Soho — when he and his girlfriend left 20 minutes later.
A security guard working nearby in the early hours of Saturday described seeing “a ton of police cars rushing up Wardour Street”.
He added: “We normally get that around here but there was a lot of personal security rushing up the street too.”
A 29-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of two counts of assault and one count of affray.
Met Police
A local bartender said police returned to the area the following day to ask people further questions.
London Ambulance Service confirmed it sent an ambulance and a paramedic to reports of an alleged assault at 1.57am.
A spokesman added: “We assessed three people. We took one patient to a local hospital and discharged the other patients at the scene.”
A source close to the alleged victim said he had been treated for facial injuries, including a broken nose, as well as a broken ring finger.
Photos seen by The Sun show him bloodied while being treated at the scene.
The Met Police confirmed: “We were called to Wardour Street, on Saturday following reports of an assault.
“The victim was taken to hospital and his injuries are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.
“A 29-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of two counts of assault and one count of affray.
“He has since been released on bail while inquiries continue.”
A representative for Toney was approached for comment.
Toney has been linked to a January move to West Ham, but insiders say his wage demands could prove a problem.
He has won seven England caps, and it is believed he wants to return to play his way into the World Cup squad.
Gambling addiction
While in London, he was pictured with Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice after the Gunners beat former club Brentford 2-0 at The Emirates.
Midfielder Rice shared a photo of the pair smiling on Instagram with the caption: “Good to see my brother”.
Toney began his football career with his hometown club Northampton Town in 2012 — becoming the youngest player to represent the then-League Two side.
He scored 13 goals in 60 matches before leaving to join Newcastle United in 2015.
After spending two years on loan for League One clubs, he joined Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee, and was top scorer.
Toney signed for Brentford in 2020 and his 31 goals helped the team earn promotion to the Premier League.
The striker made his Three Lions debut in 2023. But the same year he received an eight-month ban after being charged with more than 230 breaches of the FA’s betting rules dating from between 2017 and 2021.
Toney admitted many but contested others.
He bet 126 times on games in the same competitions he was playing in, and 29 times on his team’s games.
He bet 13 times on his own team to lose, but did not play in any of them.
He was diagnosed with gambling addiction and the FA’s regulatory commission concluded he was not a match fixer.
Toney switched to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and in his debut season helped them win the AFC Champions League Elite title for the first time.
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