Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has branded the criminals who threatened his family "violent cowards" in a moving statement.
The former Arsenal captain was the victim of a horrifying armed robbery in his home in the early hours of Monday morning. Reports in Spain claimed at least four intruders made their way through the garden with firearms and iron bars.
Aubameyang is said to have been beaten and his wife was intimidated into opening the safe, allowing thieves to make off with numerous valuables, including items of jewellery, before they fled the scene in an Audi. Further shocking revelations about the attack on the Gabonese's home surfaced on Wednesday as it emerged he suffered a broken jaw while attempting to defend his family.
Aubameyang took to social media in midweek to thank fans for the support he has received and vowed his family would "overcome" the ordeal they have been subject to. He wrote on Twitter : "Hey guys, thanks a lot for all the messages. 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 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. Auba."
Does more need to be done to protect footballers and their families? Have your say in the comments...
It remains to be seen how long Aubameyang will be sidelined with his jaw injury. The attack on his home came hours after he was an unused substitute in Barcelona's 4-0 victory over Real Valladolid in La Liga.
Although football is trivial in comparison to an armed raid on a family home, the timing of Aubameyang's injury is unfortunate in light of Thursday's transfer deadline. The ex-Borussia Dortmund ace is heavily linked with a move to Chelsea but it will take time for him to recover from the injury the robbers inflicted.
Thomas Tuchel is a known admirer of his former Bundesliga colleague and could hand him a route back to the Premier League in search of regular game time just seven months on from his move to Barcelona. Aubameyang had a respectable return of 13 goals in 23 appearances for the Catalan giants last season but has fallen down the pecking order following the arrival of Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, which has limited him to one appearance off the bench this term.
