Arsenal defender Pablo Mari was reportedly stabbed during a terrifying knife attack on Thursday afternoon ... and he's now recovering in an Italian hospital.
Multiple reports say the 29-year-old -- who's currently playing for Monza while on loan from Arsenal -- was one of six people who were slashed by a man at around 5:30 p.m. at a shopping center in Milan.
The reports say authorities ID'ed the knifeman as a 46-year-old who is believed to have grabbed the blade from the shelves of a store before lunging at passersby.