SOCIETY
Thief who robbed Cristiano and Cruyff: “I didn’t want to rob Messi”
The criminal who targeted celebrity homes spoke during the podcast ‘Sumario Abierto,’ and explained why the Argentine was avoided.
Break-ins and robberies at the homes of celebrities seem to be becoming a dangerous trend. Sergio Ramos and his family were the latest to experience this, but they are far from the only ones. And now we have heard directly from one of the thieves who has described how he carried out some of these.
Benzema and Ronaldo targeted by thieves
Carlos Quílez, who interviewed the man in question on the podcast ‘Sumario Abierto’ for Spanish news outlet El Español, refers to him as Alberto. The first topics of discussion are the incidents involving the homes of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Johan Cruyff.
“We robbed Benzema on the occasion when he didn’t catch us,” Alberto said. “We also attempted the theft at Cristiano’s place in Madeira, but the loot wasn’t enticing.”
In 2012, the criminals targeted Cruyff’s house, although they entered his residence initially without realising it was his. However, once inside, they noticed photos of him with Dennis Bergkamp, among others, and the penny dropped. They managed to steal valuables amounting to around 20,000 euros (c. $21,500) from his house.
No Messi robbery
The Albania-Kosovo gang leader, who is currently on the run from authorities, also revealed that he rejected certain heists, even mentioning a specific footballer he has not targeted and would not. His name is Lionel Messi. He even stated that he, and others, had opportunities to do so.
“I stopped people several times who wanted to rob Messi’s house, people who asked me, but I can’t stop everyone... This time, I could, and I’m very proud of that.”
He also admitted that they could have burgled the home of Messi’s parents.
“Not long ago, almost a year ago, it seems, there were others who offered, although it wasn’t his house, it was that of his parents, Messi’s family. Messi was in Paris at this point. I went to see it because I know him very well, and I know the area very well, and I didn’t want to, out of respect for Messi, I didn’t do it because I care about him, period.”
Alberto, as he’s being called, is said to be in command of more than 100 people who “depend on him or seek his permission and information to carry out certain thefts. This is why he has some capacity to ensure that other groups do not carry out specific break-ins, including those involving Messi.