Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal has become the latest footballer to be targeted by criminals in Spain.
Carvajal believes that footballers are now seen as “easy targets” following a spate of incidents. The right-back said he and his family were fine, but shaken up after the attempted break-in at his home in Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, at 2am on Tuesday morning last week.
“They tried to access the house and they couldn't because of the security system,” he told Salvame. “They were looking where they could access, but everything was closed. The security system did its job well.
“It was a big scare, but thank God we weren't at home and nothing happened and that it's the first time this has happened to me and I hope it's the last.
"The investigation is in the hands of the Civil Guard and hopefully they can find them as soon as possible. Football players are an easy target. They know when we play and when we don't. Hopefully, the State Security Bodies can lend us a hand in this regard, since we are clear targets for them.”
Carvajal’s narrow escape came soon after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang suffered an injury to his jaw when “violent cowards” broke into his home and threatened his wife and children in the Castelldefels area of Barcelona. “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,” Aubameyang wrote on Twitter.
The intruders were reportedly armed with firearms and iron bars and took multiple valuable items from the family safe, including pieces of jewellery, before fleeing in a white Audi A3.
The duo are far from the only footballers to be targeted by thieves in Spain. In 2019, Real Madrid star Lucas Vazquez returned from a holiday to find his house in Madrid gutted by burglars, while Real striker Karim Benzema and former manager Zinedine Zidane, as well as Valencia trio Gabriel Paulista, Ezequiel Garay and Geoffrey Kondogbia, were targeted previously.
The problem is not just limited to Spain, with players around the Greater Manchester area being targeted recently. Before he left Manchester United over the summer, Paul Pogba’s home was burgled while his two children were sleeping inside the property.
His former teammate Victor Lindelof was also the victim of a burglary in January, with thieves targeting the defender’s home while he was playing for United against Brentford. Marcus Rashford reportedly hired security guards over concerns about his personal safety back in February. Meanwhile, Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo suffered facial injuries during a violent break-in in December.
