Barcelona’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was targeted by armed men in a violent theft while he was at his home on Monday.
According to the Catalan club, the 33-year-old is “OK now, scared but OK” after the break in during the early hours. Per the El Pais report which Barca were confirming, at least four men forced their way into his Castelldefels home through the garden and threatened him and his wife with guns and irons bars before assaulting him.
The thieves escaped in a vehicle after emptying a safe of jewelry which the former Gabon international was forced to open. “The investigation remains open, and we are gathering information,” a spokeswoman for Catalan police Mossos d’Esquadra confirmed to AFP without identifying Aubameyang per privacy rules.
Aubameyang is currently the subject of interest from Premier League club Chelsea having only left Arsenal back in February after falling out of favor under Mikel Arteta amid disciplinary problems with club and country.
Several high-profile soccer players have been targeted in Spain of late although many happen while the players are in action with six people arrested back in June for the theft of around $3 million at a property owned by former Brazil international Ronaldo Nazario. Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti had jewelry and money stolen when at Ronaldo’s Ibiza house but was not present at the time of the robbery while new Barca signing Robert Lewandowski’s watch was recovered after being stolen during a pre-training autograph session.