The news of the break-in at Di Maria's home continued to cause a worldwide stir.
Just a month ago, Di Maria had signed a one-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain. Then this happened.
Apparently, Di Maria's home wasn't the only one that had been robbed. The home of another Paris Saint-Germain player, center-back Marquinhos, had also been targeted.
At the time, Marquinhos's father had been feeding the dog in the yard when the crime took place. Two men forced him inside. They then held Marquinhos's father and his two daughters hostage in a bedroom before making off with various items worth 2,000 euros.
Marquinhos's 52-year-old father was also beaten by the robbers. He suffered injuries to his face, chest, and ribs.
Marquinhos was also substituted by the head coach at halftime and left the pitch.
Di Maria's family suffered far greater losses. They were all home when the burglary took place, but hadn't heard a thing. The robbers broke open the safe and took a large number of pieces of jewelry and watches. Di Maria's losses exceeded 500,000 euros.
Fortunately, none of Di Maria's family members were hurt.
The incident immediately drew worldwide attention.
The safety of players and their families once again became a major concern.
Li Mingyu had already called his parents and told them he'd bought a villa.
Over the phone, Li Zhenfei had harshly criticized Li Mingyu for spending money so recklessly.
But after hearing about what had happened to Di Maria, Li Zhenfei had little more to say.
When Sonia heard the news, she was overjoyed. If she didn't still have about half a month left on her trip, she would have flown back to Spain to see her family's new mansion.
Two days later.
Barcelona's training ground.
Head coach Koeman looked sternly at all of