Footballer stabbed repeatedly in city robbery

Dublin football star Jonny Cooper said he is "humbled" by good wishes he has received after he was the victim of an horrific stabbing in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The 24-year-old suffered knife wounds to the face and neck after being attacked after 5am on Dublin’s Dorset St by a man demanding his wallet.

The defender was stabbed up to a dozen times in the attack, which occurred after he was making his way home after a night out in Dublin City.

Cooper had been socialising with teammates after his club team Na Fianna had been knocked out of the Dublin Senior Football Championship by Templeogue Synge Street on Friday evening. He had not played in the game due to injury.

The attack, which was captured on CCTV, took place as Cooper sat in a doorway after stopping at a nearby takeaway.

His attacker can be clearly seen searching Cooper’s pockets for cash before running off in the direction of Eccles St.

Despite the extremely violent nature of the attack, Cooper has made a quick recovery and was released from the Mater Hospital on Saturday.

He subsequently took to Twitter to thank well-wishers for all the support he had received.

“Absolutely humbled by the msgs & calls over the last few hours! Thank you all! I have an amazing group of friends and family,” he wrote.

The footballer’s father Brendan Cooper told the Irish Mail on Sunday that his son was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“He was stabbed quite a number of times about the head and neck but he is in good spirits. Another centimetre to the left and his eye could have gone; his ear is all cut up, his neck is destroyed. He tried to protect himself but the guy just didn’t stop.

“It’s just one of those things: He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“The man looked for money and in the same breath began to tear into him. He didn’t even wait for a reply,” he said.