Lionel Messi had a very great game against Manchester City in a UEFA Champions League group game on Tuesday, September 28, 2021. Little did the world know that the Parisian hotel where he and his family stay was robbed a day before the game.
Despite such a shocking event, the 34-year-old Argentine football icon helped Paris Saint Germain to beat Manchester City 2-0 by scoring a stunning 74th-minute goal.
Recall that Lionel Messi joined PSG as a free agent in August 2021 after FC Barcelona failed to offer him a new contract for the first time in 17 years.
Since his arrival in Paris, France, Messi, his wife Antonela Roccuzzo, and their three children – Mateo, Thiago, and Ciro have been staying in a 5-star hotel known as Le Royal Monceau.
The hotel is said to be one of the most luxurious hotels in the capital of France and has been hosting some of the most iconic visitors in the city.
According to reports, the hotel which has 6 restaurants, and an exotic swimming pool cost at least £700 per night.
As for the luxury suite, Lionel Messi and his family are occupying, reports claimed that the 6 times Ballon d’Or winner spends £17,000 per night to keep himself and his family in the suite.
It was at the same hotel that Messi’s teammate at PSG, Neymar stayed when he left FC Barcelona for PSG in 2017. The Brazilian football star stayed at the hotel until he was able to secure his permanent residence.
Just like Neymar, Messi planned to stay at the hotel until he can secure a private apartment for himself and his family.
Unfortunately for the 34-year-old Argentine football icon, a United Kingdom publication, The Sun, reported that some masked robbers invaded the hotel and stole luxurious jewelry and cash from the occupants.
Reports claimed that the robbers gained access into the highly secured hotel by scaling down the outside of the building from the roof, before entering through an unlocked balcony door.
When they gained access to the hotel, they succeeded in robbing a couple of rooms before they fled. The Sun claimed that the robbers got as close as one floor above Messi’s suite but it was not confirmed whether they succeeded in entering the footballer’s suite.
A female victim of the robbery told the Sun that the robbers stole away her items worth over 5,000 euros.
“To pay a fortune for somewhere fancy and secure and have someone walk in your room is very disturbing,” she said.
“The police told us they saw two men with a bag on the roof on CCTV cameras but they could not identify them.
“They said three other robberies were also reported. A Moroccan guy in the next room told me he had his watch stolen.”
While a spokesperson of the hotel said: “There has clearly been a very serious security breach and it’s being investigated.
“There is evidence to suggest an experienced gang was responsible.”
Reports in Paris claimed that Messi has recently signed an agreement to lease a private property in the city but he was yet to move to the property at the time of publishing this report.
