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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/Roller95 on 2025-09-11 12:40:03+00:00.
Former Dutch international Edgar Davids (52) has been robbed of a large number of valuable paintings by an ex-girlfriend. The former Barcelona and Juventus player only found out years later when he suddenly received an Instagram message from a man in Hong Kong. The court case is currently underway.
After his illustrious playing career at Ajax, AC Milan, Barcelona, Juventus and Tottenham, Edgar Davids – who played 74 international matches for the Dutch national team – moved to a flat in central London at the end of 2014.
The midfielder entrusted his collection of paintings, worth almost €220,000, to Nabila Habiby, a 38-year-old woman he had known for some time and who had even lived with him for a while.
While Davids was convinced that his valuable works were safely stored in a safe, Habiby secretly stole 37 copies. She gave them as collateral to various pawnshops in order to take out loans totalling almost 30,000 euros.
In 2017, the truth came to light. Habiby was unable to repay the loans with exorbitant interest rates, giving the pawnshops the right to sell the paintings in order to recoup their money.
The same thing happened to a man in Hong Kong. However, he noticed Davids’ name on the back of one of the artworks. Out of curiosity, he decided to contact the former footballer via Instagram. Davids, who had bought all the art himself between 2006 and 2012, was shocked and informed the British police.
The trial against the suspect began this week. ‘He trusted her, but she stole from him,’ says prosecutor Mark Seymour.
Habiby insisted for a long time that she had nothing to do with the theft, but eventually gave in. What did she give as her motive? As an independent consultant, she had an income of “only” 6,000 euros per month. Davids also claims that Habiby stole money and a luxury watch during her stay with him. She strongly denies this. A verdict is expected in November.
Incidentally, this was not the woman’s first offence. She had previously defrauded another friend by using his bank card to pay several months’ rent on her flat. This resulted in the man losing 3,500 euros.
Davids is currently assistant coach for the Dutch national team.