French police are investigating a violent armed robbery that targeted Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his partner, Alessia Elefante, at their home in Paris in the early hours of Friday morning.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said the player was targeted overnight Thursday to Friday. The prosecutor’s office and the French capital’s police force refused to release details about the attack, but confirmed that a police investigation has been opened on possible armed robbery, kidnapping and aggravated violence charges.
Le Parisien newspaper, quoting an unnamed police source, reported that four people broke into his apartment in Paris’ upmarket 8th district at about 3 a.m. It said Donnarumma and his partner were tied up and that he was slightly injured. Both were treated in hospital for shock, it said.
The couple were tied up at their home in the French capital but managed to escape to a nearby luxury hotel at 3.30 a.m. local time, where staff raised an alarm, sources told ESPN. The pair were later taken to hospital.
Donnarumma sustained light injuries, while Elefante was unharmed, sources have told ESPN.
“A police investigation has been opened for armed robbery in an organised gang and aggravated violence following the incidents that happened overnight at Mr. Donnarumma’s flat,” the Paris prosecutor’s office told ESPN.
The robbers took €500 000 ($556,430) worth of jewellery, luxury bags and watches, sources added.
Donnarumma, 24, joined PSG in 2021 and won the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper in the world later that year. He has won the Ligue 1 title in both of his two seasons at the club.
He began his career at AC Milan where he made his senior debut at just 16 years old and went on to make 251 appearances. Donnarumma also has 54 caps for Italy.
This is not the first time a PSG player has been targeted. In March 2021, defender Marquinhos was subject to a robbery while his father and two teenage daughters were home by a pair of attackers who were later handed jail terms.
A number of former and current PSG players have also had their homes robbed, including Thiago Silva, Angel Di Maria, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Presnel Kimpembe, Mauro Icardi.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.