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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has hit out at the ‘violent cowards’ who carried out the terrifying robbery at his family home, as he spoke for the first time since the incident.
Aubameyang was reportedly assaulted by a group of four men and threatened with firearms and iron bars in front of his wife Alysha Behague and their two terrified children in the early hours of Monday morning.
In a post on social media, the former Arsenal star confirmed his jaw was ‘injured’ after being struck on the chin with an iron bar, and said his family ‘no longer feeling safe in our own home’.
‘Hey guys, thanks a lot for all the messages,’ he wrote. ‘On Sunday night, some violent cowards broke into our home and threatened my family and my children, just to steal some stuff.
‘They injured my jaw but I will recover in no time, and thank God no one else was physically harmed.
‘The feeling that we are no longer safe in our own home is hard to understand and describe, but as a family, we will overcome this and stand stronger than ever.
‘Thanks for all the support, it really means a lot to us.’
Barcelona have moved Aubameyang and his family into a five-star hotel in the city and offered them psychological counselling following the ordeal.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has hit out at the ‘violent cowards’ who carried out the terrifying robbery at his family home
Aubameyang was at home with wife Alysha Behague when the men broke into their property
The thieves escaped with jewels after Aubameyang was forced to open a safe within the property in Castelldefels, a coastal town south of Barcelona.
Aubameyang, 33, was struck on the chin with an iron bar, while Behague suffered a blow to the head, but they decided initally against hospital treatment in order not to further frighten their kids.
The children – Curtys, 11, and Pierre, six – saw their parents held on the ground for an hour while the thieves ransacked the house in the early hours of Monday morning.
Catalan news outlet ARA reported police are looking for the assailants and believe they belong to an organised gang of Kosovar Albanians.
The pair have two children together – Pierre (left), six, and Curtys (right) who is 11 years old
The gang apparently staked out Aubameyang’s property while he was away in the United States on Barcelona’s pre-season tour.
At that time, they tried unsuccessfully to enter the house but were deterred by an alarm. On this occasion, however, the alarm was disconnected because Aubameyang and his family were at home.
The gang were easily able to scale a garden fence to gain access and made off in a white Audi A3.
Barcelona have been advising their players to hire private security for their properties to deter criminals.
Aubameyang was beaten by the crooks, who intimidated him and Behague with firearms and iron bars during the late night raid
However, because Aubameyang has been linked with a move away from Barcelona this summer, he had not yet hired anybody to protect his property.
The Barcelona striker may require surgery to repair the reported broken jaw, which is now a complicating factor in a transfer to Chelsea prior to Thursday’s deadline.
Talks are ongoing over the 33-year-old’s move to Stamford Bridge but there isn’t yet an agreement between Barcelona and Chelsea in place, or personal terms agreed with the former Arsenal striker.
The Athletic report that Aubameyang would not be able to play right away if he does sign for Chelsea because of the facial injury.
Aubameyang may need surgery to fix the issue more quickly that if the jaw was left to heal naturally and he is expected to be sidelined for four or five weeks.
Aubameyang is known for showing off his luxury sports cars and flashing his designer brands
However, it isn’t expected that the issue will lead to the collapse of the deal with Barcelona urgently needing to sell players and Chelsea in desperate need of a new forward.
A loan move to the west London club cannot be ruled out, however, with negotiations ongoing ahead of the 11pm transfer deadline on Thursday night.
Chelsea’s need for a new forward was underlined when they lost 2-1 at Southampton on Tuesday night.
Gabon international Aubameyang spent four-and-a-half seasons at Arsenal, scoring 92 goals in 163 appearances before moving to Barcelona last February following a fall-out with manager Mikel Arteta following breaches of discipline.