Armed raid at the home
Four masked men carrying pistols entered the house of Villarreal goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi in the early hours of Tuesday, 13 October 2026, according to the Associated Press. The property is in a residential area of Puçol, north of Valencia. Gulácsi, a 36-year-old Hungarian, was at home with his wife and their two children. The robbery lasted about an hour. The intruders threatened the goalkeeper and forced him to hand over valuables kept in a safe, then drove off in two of his luxury cars. The club said nobody was injured, and Blick reported that it was unclear whether the weapons were real or replicas.
Club response and the match
Villarreal announced before kickoff that Gulácsi would not play because of "personal reasons". Its later statement pointed to the emotional strain on the goalkeeper. Luiz Júnior started in goal as the Spanish side hosted Napoli in the Champions League league phase that evening. Gulácsi had played the club's last four league matches, including a 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid on Saturday, according to 20 Minutes. He joined Villarreal from RB Leipzig this summer after spending eleven years with the German club, Die Welt reported.
- Four masked armed men enter the home, stay about an hour and leave in two luxury cars
- Villarreal announces Gulácsi is unavailable due to personal reasons
- Villarreal play Napoli in the Champions League without Gulácsi, with Luiz Júnior in goal
Investigation and suspects
The Government Delegation of the Valencian Community confirmed the incident to the news agency EFE. Police have opened an investigation into the robbery. Authorities said none of the family members was hurt. In reports published on 14 October, the suspects were still at large, and police had not confirmed which items were taken or whether any arrests had been made. Blick said three people had been detained earlier that day in a separate set of break-ins involving Barcelona players, but no arrests in the Gulácsi case had been confirmed.
Similar robberies in the region
Adevarul reported that Ettienne Capoue was the target of an attempted robbery at his home in Betera, near Valencia, in February 2024. Die Welt said former Villarreal players Zambo Anguissa and Toko Ekambi had also been targeted in the past. The paper added that neighbouring Valencia had reported raids on its players, including Gabriel Paulista, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Ezequiel Garay. ANSA also noted that Toko Ekambi and Zambo Anguissa had faced similar situations in earlier seasons.
What comes next
Blick reported that no date has been set for Gulácsi's return to team training. His availability for the Saturday, 17 October league match against Elche, which kicks off at 16:15, is also in doubt. Die Welt said the club hopes its first-choice goalkeeper can process the events quickly. Whether he will be back between the posts in the coming weeks remains unclear.