Angel Di Maria left Paris Saint-Germain’s game against Nantes early on Sunday to rush to his home where his family had been held hostage during a robbery.
Another PSG player, Marquinhos, also had his parents’ house targeted by intruders during the match. Like Di Maria’s family, Marquinhos’ parents were also home at the time and held hostage by the robbers.
The Argentina international was substituted off by Mauricio Pochettino just after the hour mark after a strange scene where Leonardo, Paris’ sporting director, filtered the bad news to the PSG manager, who then informed his player while walking him back to the dressing room.
A visibly upset Di Maria left the Parc des Princes to rush home to be with his family.
The police have opened an investigation and the club will offer their full support to the two players and their families.
Di Maria went through a similar experience when playing for Manchester United in 2015, when he and his family were the victims of an attempted raid by burglars.