Ángel Di María was substituted during Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 game against Nantes on Sunday night, amid reports that his home had been robbed while his family were at the property.
The Argentinian was withdrawn in the 62nd minute after the PSG coach, Mauricio Pochettino, briefly left the field following an earlier discussion with sporting director Leonardo. Pochettino accompanied his countryman back to the dressing room with his arm around him.
The winger is thought to have left Parc des Princes after being taken out of the game, which PSG went on to lose 2-1. According to L’Equipe, burglars managed to steal a safe from Di María’s home containing jewellery and watches worth at least €500,000 (£428,250).
The PSG club captain, Marquinhos, was also targeted with burglars breaking into his parents’ home on Sunday. “Nobody was hurt and everybody is well … French authorities have launched an inquiry,” the Brazilian said in a statement.
“There was a situation outside of sport itself that you’re now aware of,” Pochettino said after the game, without mentioning Di María by name. “For the players this goes beyond soccer and it should be taken into consideration.” No further details were immediately provided.
Di María was the victim of an attempted burglary in February 2015, while he was playing for Manchester United. Three men reportedly used scaffolding poles to smash patio doors while the player and his family were eating dinner. The robbers fled empty-handed but Di María was reportedly left shaken by the incident.
Sunday’s defeat leaves PSG three points behind league leaders Lille. Julian Draxler had put the hosts ahead at half-time but Kylian Mbappé’s error allowed Randal Kolo Muani to equalise moments before Di María was substituted. Moses Simon then converted Muani’s cross to seal a surprise win that lifted Nantes out of the bottom two.