Former African Footballer of the Year, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has revealed shocking details about a house break-in he suffered in Barcelona at the hands of armed men.
Several high-profile footballers have been victims of robberies in Europe, including Raheem Sterling, Paul Pogba, Joao Cancelo, and Gabriel Magalhães. Aubameyang experienced something just as terrifying during his stint at FC Barcelona in 2022.
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Speaking in an interview with The Athletic, the Gabonese striker shared that he and his family endured a horrifying ordeal one day while he was at home with his family and friends.
Aubameyang recounted how several suspects broke into his home, one of whom was armed and threatened the safety of his loved ones.
He said: "My eldest son came running and said to me, 'Dad, some guys are in the house'.
"I said, 'Just hide'. They came in from outside, where my wife was smoking with my cousin and her boyfriend. They took him (the cousin's boyfriend) and came into the house. My wife was screaming. They had a gun.
"At the same time, my sister-in-law was there with our little one. I said to her, too, 'Just go. Try to hide somewhere'.
"This is when I saw the guys. There were four or five, I think. One had the gun and said to me, 'Just go down'. I said, 'No, no, no. Tell me what you want'. We talked, and he said, 'Sit down'. I said, 'No'. This is when he started to punch me."
Aubameyang further recalled how a man wearing gloves with metal inserts broke his jaw after repeatedly punching him. He added: "I wanted to fight, but one guy went down and took my kids and sister-in-law.
"At that point, I couldn't do anything. If you do something wrong, something can happen to them. We went through the house, and I gave them what they wanted, so we could be OK."
Now aged 35, Aubameyang plays in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Qadsiah, where he has already registered seven goals in 13 appearances this season, according to Transfermarkt.
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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