- This story is developing, more to follow
Italian football legend Roberto Baggio has been hospitalised after he was attacked by armed robbers who stormed his home and locked his family up while they watched last night’s Euro 2024 match between Italy and Spain.
Baggio, 57, was at his home in Altavilla Vicentina, a small town in northern Italy that lies roughly an hour’s drive away from Venice, at around 10pm local time when the gang of five broke in.
While Il Divin Codino, The Divine Ponytail in English, tried to fight the thugs off, he was hit in the head with the butt of a gun, before he and his family were locked in a room.
The robbers stole watches, jewellery and money, the value of which is not currently known, from the isolated agricultural estate which he and his family have lived in for 15 years.
The ex-forward was able to break his family out of the room they were locked in, but not before the robbers got away. Corriere della Sera reported that the robbery took place over 40 minutes.
Investigating cops have been handed CCTV footage to assist their inquiry.
Baggio, meanwhile, had to go to a hospital in Arzignano, roughly eight miles from his home, to be treated for his forehead injury, for which he was given stitches.
While none of his family were hurt, local media reported that they were left terrified by the incident at their home, which reportedly sits on an isolated plot of land surrounded by countryside and woodland.
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 in this time.
A 1985 injury, just three years into his career, threatened to end his time as a footballer. The incident profoundly changed him, and he converted from Catholicism to Buddhism.
His religion became such a deep part of his identity that he proudly wore the colours of his religious school, Nichiren Buddhism, on his captain’s armband.
The band also bore the Japanese motto ‘We win. We must win.’
His strong Buddhist belief allowed him to forge a strong tie to Japan, where he is popular. Baggio has appeared in several football-themed cartoons and video games published in the country.
But he has never let go of his Catholic roots, marrying his long-time partner Andreina Fabbi in 1989 in a Catholic ceremony.
The couple had three children together – Valentina, born in 1990, Mattia, born in 1994, and Leonardo, born in 2005.
On top of being a successful footballer, he was a businessman, owning a sports goods store in Thiene, Vicenza, called Baggio Sport which had to close down in 2012 following a series of losses after the 2008 global recession.
After retiring from football, he became a high-ranking officials in Italy’s Football Federation, presiding over the organisation’s technical section.
But in 2013, after three years in the job, he resigning claiming that the sporting body did not listen to his recommendations on how to nurture young talent.
Outside of football, he is heavily involved in charity work. He was named a Goodwill Ambassador of the UN’s Food and Agriculture organisation, and helped fund hospitals, raise money for disaster victims and raised funds to tackle bird flu.
The Divine Ponytail has also used his footballing skills to raise money for charity, taking part in several fundraising matches, including a 2008 friendly between Milan and Florentina that raised money for ALS treatment.
He also took part in the 2014 Match for Peace in Rome, to raise money for Scholas, a project aiming to connect schools and educational networks from different cultures and beliefs from around the world.
Baggio played alongside Diego Maradona, Carlos Valderrama, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi and Andrea Pirlo.
He was given the 2010 Man of Peace award for his charity and social justice work, which was presented by the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Hiroshima, Japan.
Baggio is also a keen hunter, and owns a ranch in Rivera in the southwest of Argentina where he hunts wild game.
More to follow.