Burglars smash their way in to ex-Arsenal Matteo Guendouzi home with petrified wife inside
French football has been rocked by another burglary scandal following reports the home of ex-Arsenal ace Matteo Guendouzi was broken into while his wife was inside.
The Marseille midfielder was in pre-season action against German outfit Bayer Leverkusen when the incident took place. Spouse Mae Rfsk was alerted to the thieves when she heard a bedroom window being smashed at the residence and promptly called the police.
Reports in the French media suggested the burglars made off with a £172,000 Rolex watch. And the intruders might have got away with a lot more had it not been for Rfsk's quick intervention.
She and former Arsenal anchor Guendouzi live in Cassis, a Mediterranean commune east of Marseille that's home to a number of his team-mates. Former colleague Sead Kolasinac - who recently joined Atalanta on a free transfer - also had his house in Cassis broken into back in January while his wife and daughter were home.
Guendouzi, 24, is but the latest Ligue 1 star to be targeted in recent years, following a growing number of such incidents in France. It was only a fortnight ago that Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma became the latest footballer to be hit.
The Italian and his partner, Alessia Elefante, were 'tied up and stripped' by intruders after they'd broken into their residence. However, the couple managed to eventually get free and found refuge at a nearby hotel in the capital before phoning police.
Guendouzi reportedly lost a £172,000 Rolex watch to the thieves (Image: Matteo Guendouzi Instagram) |
He joined a list of other PSG players past and present to be involved in such disturbances with Angel Di Maria, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Mauro Icardi and more each targeted in recent years.
Criminals showed a pattern in targeting players while they were playing matches, though family members were often at home when the invasions took place.
It's understood Guendouzi's wife, Mae, wasn't injured during the assault, which has once again highlighted a worrying trend on the French football scene.
The Sun cited a report from French intelligence service Sirasco, which found 22 different players were targeted in 2021 alone.