Entertainment

Hotel where Lionel Messi lives raided, thousands of pounds of jewellery stolen

Published

3 years ago

September 30, 2021

MASKED raiders have stolen thousands of pounds of jewellery and cash from the five-star hotel where Lionel Messi lives.

The gang broke in by scaling down the outside of the building from the roof..

They got in via an unlocked balcony door, one floor above superstar Messi’s £17,000-a-night suite.

It is thought four rooms were hit at the Le Royal Monceau in Paris, weeks after the new PSG star waved at fans from his balcony.

Two masked men were seen on CCTV clambering down to a sixth-floor balcony on Wednesday night last week. One female victim, a financial adviser in Dubai, had left her £1,000-a-night room for the evening. The next day she discovered a £3,000 gold necklace was missing, plus £500 earrings and £2,000 in cash.

She said: “To pay a fortune for somewhere fancy and secure and have someone walk in your room is very disturbing. The police told us they saw two men with a bag on the roof on CCTV cameras but they could not identify them.

“They said three other robberies were also reported. A Moroccan guy in the next room told me he had his watch stolen.”

However she claimed the hotel, whose past guests include Madonna and Michael Jackson, did not believe her until the police got involved

Security was ramped up in August after Messi, 34, moved in with wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their three children. PSG fans have gathered outside each day hoping to see their £30million-a-year hero, who joined from Barcelona in August.

On Wednesday, crash barriers were put up when he returned from scoring in the club’s Champions League win over Man City.

He has reportedly signed a lease for a family home and is set to move out. A police source told The Sun: “There has clearly been a very serious security breach and it’s being investigated. There is evidence to suggest an experienced gang was responsible.”

The hotel says it is “under investigation”.