Niclas Füllkrug targeted in Milan hotel theft
Germany striker Niclas Füllkrug has fallen victim to a significant theft at his Milan hotel, with jewellery valued at approximately £400,000 taken from his room, reports BritPanorama.
The 32-year-old West Ham forward only arrived in Italy’s fashion capital on 2 January, joining AC Milan on a temporary basis with the possibility of a permanent switch at the season’s end. Barely a fortnight into his Serie A adventure, the former Borussia Dortmund player discovered his valuables had been stolen, marking an unwelcome start to his time in Italy.
Upon returning from a training session on Wednesday, Füllkrug found that his safe had been broken into and his precious items removed, according to Italian media reports. Investigators have since examined the hotel room for forensic evidence, dusting the scene for potential clues. The German international is now cooperating with Italian police as they work to establish who may be responsible for the break-in.
The incident is particularly unusual given that most footballer robberies occur at private residences rather than hotels, making Füllkrug’s case a distressing one. Professional footballers have increasingly become targets for criminals throughout Europe, with notable incidents involving players such as Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma and Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling, both of whom faced masked intruders in recent months.
In 2019, Arsenal teammates Mesut Özil and Sead Kolašinac were also attacked in an attempted theft of watches and jewellery worth £200,000, while more recently Napoli’s David Neres endured a harrowing experience in which armed robbers smashed a minibus window and demanded his watch at gunpoint. Füllkrug joined the Hammers for £27 million during the summer of 2024 following a prolific spell in the Bundesliga, but his time in east London was difficult, managing just three goals across 29 appearances. The loan arrangement was viewed as beneficial for both player and club, though the robbery has cast a shadow over what was meant to be a fresh start.
Since arriving at the San Siro, Füllkrug has featured in four matches without finding the net. AC Milan currently sit six points adrift of city rivals Inter in second place, though they hold a game in hand. In a season rife with ups and downs, this unfortunate event underscores the vulnerabilities that players face off the pitch, leaving one to ponder the thin line between fortune and misfortune in the world of professional sport.
