Gerard Couzens
Former Liverpool and Hungary international goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi was forced to miss Villarreal’s Champions League fixture against Napoli on Tuesday night after being subjected to a violent armed robbery at his home in the early hours of the morning.
The 36-year-old footballer and his wife, pilates instructor Diana Vigh, were asleep in bed at their property on an exclusive residential estate in Puzol, north of Valencia, when four masked intruders forcibly entered the residence.
According to police sources, the assailants - who were carrying pistols - confronted the couple, threatening them and demanding they open a home safe to hand over cash and high-value belongings. At least one of the couple’s two young children was inside the property during the ordeal.
Hour-long ordeal ends in vehicle getaway
The victims were held at gunpoint for approximately an hour before the four suspects fled the scene in two high-end motor vehicles. Law enforcement officers have not yet confirmed the total financial value or nature of the items stolen.
Spain's Guardia Civil has launched an investigation to trace the vehicles and identify the gang members, though no arrests have been made to date. Investigators are also working to determine whether the firearms used during the raid were real or replica weapons.
Gulácsi, who represented Hungary 57 times between 2014 and 2025 and featured in three European Championship tournaments, signed a two-year contract with Villarreal in August following a nine-year tenure at German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
Wave of high-profile footballer break-ins across Southern Europe
The violent raid in Puzol coincides with a broader crackdown by Spanish law enforcement on organized burglary rings targeting high-profile professional athletes.
Hours before news of Gulácsi’s ordeal emerged, Spanish police confirmed the arrest of three individuals suspected of executing targeted break-ins across Catalonia, including the homes of Barcelona stars Joan García and Pau Cubarsí. Two men have been remanded in custody, while a 46-year-old woman was released on conditional bail.
The incident also follows a similar home invasion in May, when former Southampton defender Jan Bednarek and his family were held at knifepoint inside their residence in Porto, Portugal, before an intruder escaped with €150,000 worth of jewellery.