Italian football legend Roberto Baggio has been hospitalized after he was attacked by armed robbers who stormed his home and locked up his family as they watched the Euro 2024 match between Italy and Spain last night.
Baggio, 57, was at his home in Altavilla Vicentina, a small town in northern Italy about an hour’s drive from Venice, at around 10pm local time when the gang of five broke in.
As Il Divin Codino, The Divine Ponytail in English, tried to fend off the thugs, he was hit on the head with the butt of a gun, before he and his family were locked in a room.
The robbers stole watches, jewelery and money, the value of which is currently unknown, from the isolated agricultural estate where he and his family have lived for fifteen years.
The ex-attacker managed to free his family from the room they were locked in, but not before the robbers escaped. Corriere della Sera reported that the robbery lasted more than 40 minutes.
Roberto Baggio (pictured) had to go to hospital to be treated for his forehead injury, for which he received stitches
Baggio and his family (photo) were locked in a room by the robbers
The robbery took place last night during the Euro 2024 match between Italy and Spain (photo)
The police have received CCTV footage to support their investigation.
Baggio, meanwhile, had to go to a hospital in Arzignano, about ten miles from his home, to be treated for his forehead injury, for which he received stitches.
Although no one from his family was injured, local media reported that they were terrified by the incident at their home, which is said to be on a remote plot of land surrounded by countryside and forests.
Baggio and his family have not yet commented on the shocking robbery.
The Italian legend spent his entire 22-year sporting career in Italy, playing for the country’s three most decorated clubs: Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, as well as other smaller clubs.
He won two Serie A titles during this time.
An injury in 1985, just three years into his playing career, threatened to end his time as a footballer. The incident changed him profoundly and he converted from Catholicism to Buddhism.
Baggio, 57, was at his home in Altavilla Vicentina, a small town in northern Italy about an hour’s drive from Venice, at around 10pm local time when the gang of five broke in.
He married his long-time partner Andreina Fabbi (pictured) in 1989.
The couple had three children together: Valentina (photo, center left), born in 1990, Mattia (photo, center right), born in 1994, and Leonardo (photo, left), born in 2005.
Baggio spent his entire 22-year sporting career in Italy
He is often regarded as one of the world’s greatest players
Baggio was known as the Divine Ponytail, a nickname he gave for his bizarre hairstyle
His religion became such a deep part of his identity that he proudly wore the colors of his religious school, Nichiren Buddhism, on his captain’s armband.
The band also carried the Japanese motto ‘We win’. We have to win.’
But he never abandoned his Catholic roots and married his longtime partner Andreina Fabbi in a Catholic ceremony in 1989.
The couple had three children together: Valentina, born in 1990, Mattia, born in 1994, and Leonardo, born in 2005.
Besides being a successful footballer, he was also a businessman and owner of a sporting goods store in Thiene, Vicenza, called Baggio Sport, which had to close in 2012 after a series of losses following the 2008 global recession.
His children all live with him on their remote estate in northern Italy
Despite his belief in Buddhism, he married his wife in a Roman Catholic ceremony
After retiring from football, he became a senior official at the Italian Football Federation, chairing the organisation’s technical department.
But in 2013, after three years in the role, he resigned, claiming the sports body was not listening to his recommendations on how to nurture young talent.
Outside of football, he is heavily involved in charity work. He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and helped fund hospitals, raise money for disaster victims and raise money to tackle bird flu.
The Divine Ponytail has also used his football skills to raise money for charity, taking part in several fundraising matches, including a friendly match between Milan and Florentina in 2008, which raised money for ALS treatment.
He also took part in the Match for Peace in Rome in 2014 to raise money for Scholas, a project that aims to connect schools and educational networks from different cultures and beliefs around the world.
Baggio played alongside Diego Maradona, Carlos Valderrama, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi and Andrea Pirlo.
He received the 2010 Man of Peace Prize for his work in charity and social justice, presented by the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Hiroshima, Japan.
Baggio is also an avid hunter and owns a ranch in Rivera in southwestern Argentina, where he hunts game.
More to follow.