Edgar Davids, the former Netherlands soccer player once nicknamed “the Pitbull,” has found himself the victim of a con—and not on the pitch. A London court this week heard how a trusted friend allegedly looted his $255,000 art collection, pawning dozens of works for a fraction of their value.
Davids, according to a report in the Evening Standard, asked Nabila Habiby to look after his possessions when he relocated to a central London flat in late 2014. She had keys to his mansion in Hadley Wood in north London, and was meant to place his belongings in storage. Instead, she allegedly removed 37 artworks—including 33 pieces by Paul Insect and two by American pop provocateur Ron English—and used them to secure loans worth just $42,800.
When Habiby failed to repay, pawnbrokers offloaded the works at auction. Davids remained under the impression that his collection was safe in a storage locker until 2017, when he received an unexpected Instagram message. A buyer in Hong Kong had purchased a Paul Insect work, noticed Davids’ name on the back, and contacted him directly. It was the first he knew that his collection had vanished.
By then, many of the paintings were scattered across the globe. Prosecutors told Wood Green Crown Court that the sales were a “fire sale,” with 26 works going for around $95,200, far below the prices Davids originally paid when he bought them from New York’s Opera Gallery between 2006 and 2012. Eleven works have since been recovered, but 25 remain missing.
Habiby, who had lived with Davids briefly and worked for him in 2014, forged invoices and gallery paperwork to pull off the scheme. She also defrauded another friend, using her bank card to cover nearly $4,100 in Knightsbridge rent. After initially denying the charges, she was extradited from Belgium in 2022 and this week admitted to two counts of fraud. She now faces up to 34 months in prison.
Davids, who spent a short stint at Tottenham Hotspur in 2005–06, told police he felt an emotional connection to the stolen works, particularly the unique Ron English pieces.
Judge Alexander Jacobs told Habiby she had abused “position, power, trust, and responsibility,” warning that a custodial sentence was likely when the court reconvenes in November.
For Davids, the saga is a reminder that losing track of your artwork can sting nearly as much as losing the ball in midfield at Anfield.
