According to the Italian national news agency ANSA, former Ballon d’Or recipient and Italian football legend Roberto Baggio was the victim of a home invasion robbery. He sustained a deep head wound after being struck with a gunstock, requiring stitches.
The incident occurred during the Euro Cup match between Italy and Spain (around 10 p.m. Central European Time on Thursday). Baggio was watching the game at his home in the southwestern part of Vicenza when five criminals entered and carried out the robbery. Baggio briefly struggled with one of the intruders before being hit on the forehead with the weapon, causing a severe injury.
Subsequently, Baggio and his family were locked in a room together while the perpetrators ransacked every area of the house, stealing watches, jewelry, cash, and other items. The extent of the losses incurred by Baggio’s family is yet to be determined. Baggio only broke free from the room and called the police after realizing that the robbers had left.
The Vicenza police promptly intervened, interviewing Baggio and his family for information and securing relevant video surveillance footage. Baggio was then taken to a local emergency room, where he received several stitches on his forehead. His family was deeply shaken but, fortunately, apart from Baggio’s injury, they were unharmed.
Baggio, now 57, played for clubs like Fiorentina, Juventus, AC Milan, Bologna, Inter Milan, and Brescia, earning 56 caps for the Italian national team and scoring 27 goals. He won the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1993. His missed penalty in the 1994 World Cup final remains an iconic moment of melancholy in football history.
