Alexandre Lacazette was saying farewell to his boyhood club Lyon and had a send-off to remember with two goals against Angers, but the game was bittersweet as his home was been raided by robbers while he was playing
Former Arsenal star Alexandre Lacazette was the victim of a burglary while playing his final game for Lyon this weekend, according to reports in France. The 33-year-old had a farewell to remember as he netted a brace in a 2-0 win over Angers, first from the penalty spot before tapping home a second.
It was the perfect way for Lacazette to say goodbye as he was lauded by fans, but his special night was quickly marred as he later discovered his home had been raided by robbers while he was on the pitch.
French outlet Le Progres claims Lacazette’s house was broken into around half an hour after Lyon’s game kicked off at 9pm local time, with two robbers involved. The house was empty at the time and the men managed to get inside through a service shaft.
The thieves are said to have accessed a safe inside his property in Lyon’s fifth district and taken jewellery and cash – with the total value of good stolen said to be worth tens of thousands of pounds.
The two men were captured on CCTV footage after the break-in was reported at around 1.30am in the morning, with police now launching an investigation.
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Footballers in Lyon have often been victims of burglary after stars Karl Toko-Ekambi, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Dejan Lovren had their homes raided in 2022. The following year, left-back Nicolas Tagliafico saw his garden broken into by thieves before entering his home.
Lacazette’s own experience comes during what should be a happy time as he reflects on making 391 appearances for Lyon, scoring 201 times across two spells.
He started his career with the club as a teenager before joining Arsenal in 2017, where he scored 71 goals in 206 games before returning to Lyon in 2022.
At his last game, fans honoured him with a huge tifo of the player at the Angers game before his team-mates gave him a guard of honour – clapping as he walked under an arch that read “Merci Alex”.
Lacazette will leave as a free agent and has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League after reportedly rejecting their advances last summer.
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