Barcelona defender Lucas Digne unlikely Ramblas hero

FC Barcelona defender Lucas Digne has emerged as one of the unlikely heroes of the terrorist attacks which claimed 15 lives in Barcelona and Cambrils on Thursday.

Digne, who only recently moved to Plaza Catalunya at the head of Las Ramblas, heard the noise when Younis Abouyaaqoub drove a van into crowds of people killing 13 and injuring almost a hundred at around 5 p.m. local time, reports Xinhua news agency.

Catalan radio station RAC 1 reported that 24-year-old Digne, who previously played for Paris Saint-Germain, wasted no time in collecting bottles of water and towels and rushing to Las Ramblas in order to help the injured, who were lying on the street.

When police evacuated the zone, Digne returned to his apartment. He then posted a picture of Plaza Catalunya, looking towards Las Ramblas, with the message "my sympathy to all of the victims and their families for the cowardly attacks today in Barcelona, My heart has been destroyed."

The defender played the last five minutes of Barcelona's 2-0 win at home over Betis on Sunday in which both the team and fans paid homage to the victims and the Barcelona team wore the word Barcelona on the back of their shirts, instead of their names.

--IANS

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