Roberto Baggio, widely regarded as one of the greatest football players in history, suffered head injuries when a group of armed criminals entered his Altavilla Vicentina home in northern Italy on Thursday evening, according to local police.
No further details could be given due to an ongoing investigation into the incident, police said.
The break-in happened during the European Championship match between Italy and Spain, which Baggio was watching on TV with his family, according to local media reports.
Baggio tried to defend his family and was hit on the head with a gun, reports said.
The incident began around 10 p.m. local time in Italy and lasted for about 40 minutes, Baggio told reporters outside the hospital in Arzignano, northern Italy, where he received stitches on his head for the wound.
Outside the hospital in Arzignano, northern Italy, where he received sutures for the wound on his head, Baggio informed reporters that the event started at around 10 p.m. local time in Italy and continued for roughly 40 minutes.
While the burglars searched the house, he and his family members were imprisoned in a room. The local media reports that the entire value of the stolen goods has not been disclosed.
According to local authorities, there were security cameras around the villa and its premises, and no arrests have been made as of yet.
“First of all, my family and I would like to thank everyone for the great affection we have received,” Baggio told ANSA in a statement.
“Anything can happen in situations like this, and, fortunately, the violence I suffered only caused a few stitches, bruises and a lot of fear. Now, I have to overcome the fear.”
The Veneto region’s president, Luca Zaia, stated in a statement that was released by regional media:
“I express my closeness and solidarity to Roberto Baggio and his family, and I am sure I can send him the embrace of all the Venetians who made people dream with his unparalleled skill on the grass of international pitches.
“I hope that the ‘Divine Codino’ [the ‘Divine Ponytail’], the symbolic champion of our football and our region, a person we feel close and friendly, can soon recover together with his family from this bad evening and from the wounds for which he was followed and treated by the staff of the health facilities in Arzignano with whom I have kept in touch.”
Additionally, Zaia said: “The experience he lived in his home, attacked and robbed by unspeakable criminals, compares his to other families who have unfortunately suffered similar experiences and, as in all cases, we trust that the criminals can be brought to justice soon.”
According to the local media, Roberto Baggio, who played for Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, and the Italian national team among other teams, retired in 2004 and now operates a modest agricultural company out of his large estate in Altavilla Vicentina. Based on his social media and press sources, he drives a modest car and follows Buddhism.
The 57-year-old won the 1993 Ballon d’Or, which is given out every year to the finest player in the world, after making 56 appearances for Italy and scoring 27 goals.
