Péter Gulácsi, who played for RB Leipzig for eleven years, missed his Champions League debut for Villarreal. The reason was an armed robbery at his home in the province of Valencia in the early hours of Tuesday.
The 36-year-old was at home with his wife and two children when the robbers attacked the property. A LaLiga representative confirmed the incident in an official statement. According to the statement, the robbers attacked the keeper's house in the north of the Valencia province in the early morning hours. The family suffered no physical injuries, but the incident caused significant psychological distress.
Júnior replaces Gulácsi
Due to the event, Gulácsi was unable to play in his new club's home match against SSC Napoli. Villarreal instead started the 25-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper Luiz Júnior. The match was scheduled for 21:00. For Gulácsi, who left RB Leipzig in the summer after more than a decade, it would have been his first competitive appearance for the Yellow Submarine.
The Valencia region has been the scene of several robberies targeting football professionals in recent years. Those affected have included former Villarreal players such as André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Karl Toko Ekambi, as well as players from FC Valencia. When Gulácsi will be available again is still unclear. His participation in Villarreal's next league match against FC Elche this weekend is still in question.
While his former club RB Leipzig currently sits fifth in the Bundesliga with nine points, the team is preparing for the top match away to Bayern Munich on 17 October. Leipzig have recently secured two consecutive wins and go into the international break with a record of three wins from their last five games.
More detail at Die Welt Sport
