ITALIAN legend Robert Baggio has been rushed to hospital after being robbed and beaten by armed thugs.
The shocking incident occurred as he was watching Italy’s 1-0 defeat to Spain at Euro 2024 last night.
Baggio and his family were “victims of a home robbery” while his nation were in action yesterday.
Corriere del Veneto broke the news today, stating that the “serious attack” took place in the former Ballon d’Or winner’s villa in Altavilla Vicentina.
They claim that the former forward, 57, endured a “nightmare” that “lasted about forty minutes”.
Baggio allegedly tried to fight off five armed men after they reportedly broke into his property.
But the brave star was unable to hold them off, and he and his loved ones ended up being locked in a closet.
The robbers then proceeded to take watches and jewellery from his home before Baggio managed to free himself and phone the police.
The ex-forward ended up spending the night in his local hospital and needed stitches after the attack, which cops are now investigating.
The icon who played the entirety of his career in Italy and was nicknamd the the divine ponytail.
He played for Italy’s three most successful clubs, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, winning two Serie A titles over the course of his career.
In 1993, Baggio helped Juventus to win the Uefa cup, scoring two goals in the first leg of the final against Borussia Dortmund.
That year, he was named Fifa World player of the year and received the Ballon d’or.
Baggio became the first Italian to score at three different World Cups in 1998, after scoring in 1990 and 1994, but it as the latter tournament that he will always be remembered for.
In 1994, Italy reached the FIFA World cup final in the USA, where they would play Brazil.
The game finished goalless after 90 minutes, and the two teams could not be separated after 30 minutes of extra time, which led to a penalty shootout.
The score was 3-2 to the South Americans after nine penalties with Baggio stepping up needing to convert to continue the shootout.
After a long runup, the Italian sent goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel the wrong way, but saw his penalty fly high over the crossbar, handing Brazil their fourth World cup.
After retiring from football, Baggio became president of the technical sector of the Italian football federation in 2010.
He resigned from this role in 2013 as he suggested that the federation had ignored his ideas about focusing on youth talent.
Outside of football, Baggio has been praised for his charity work, becoming a UN ambassador in 2002 and helping to raise money for areas affected by earthquakes and illnesses.
Source: The Sun
