Nicolas Otamendi, his wife Celeste, and his son Valentin were assaulted and robbed at their home in Portugal on Monday morning, December 13, 2021.
Portuguese Newspaper, Correio da Manha reported that four criminals intercepted Nicolas Otamendi when he was making his way into his home.
Immediately they intercepted the 33-year-old Argentina defender who plays for Portuguese club Benfica, the thieves tied him up and put a belt on his neck to restrict his movement.
Afterward, the thieves forced the Argentine footballer to his bedroom where his son and his wife were. When the thieves and Otamendi arrived in the room, they stole jewelry and money belonging to the footballer.
The thieves successfully carried out the attack and left the footballer’s home without being apprehended.
Afterward, Portuguese media reported that the police were informed of the attack and have commenced investigation to ascertain those behind it.
Due to the robbery, Nicolas Otamendi’s home in the Aroeira area in Lisbon is being guarded by security operatives while the police continue with their investigation.
The attack happened less than a day after Otamendi played for 90 minutes in a Primeira Liga match between his team, Benfica, and Famalicao which ended 4-1 in favor of Benfica.
After the attack, Benfica issued a statement to confirm that the former Manchester City defender and his family were victims of assault. The club statement also confirmed that Otamendi and his family are doing well.
The statement read: “Benfica confirms that Otamendi was the victim of an assault at his residence during the early hours of today. The footballer and his family are doing well despite the discomfort due to the situation.
“Benfica appeals that the privacy of the player and his family be respected by all the media while the authorities investigate what happened.”
The attack on Benfica’s home happened four days after the Argentine defender took to his verified Instagram page to share a picture showing when he and his family members were decorating a Christmas tree.
In the picture, Otamendi could be seen on a ladder collecting ribbons from his son, Valentin, and daughter, Morena. His wife was not also left out in the activity.
At the time of publishing this report, the footballer who left Manchester City on September 29, 2020, for Benfica for a transfer fee worth €15million, had not made any reaction over the attack.
The deal the defender signed with Benfica in 2020 reportedly earns the Argentine footballer €2.4 million per year. The deal will expire on June 30, 2023.
