Paolo Rossi’s Home Broken Into During His Funeral

Italian World Cup hero Paolo Rossi passed away on Thursday at the age of 64 after an illness. A funeral took place on Saturday, drawing a massive crowd of mourners. However, a criminal used the opportunity to break into Rossi’s home and steal some items.

According to the BBC, Rossi’s wife, Federica Cappelletti, returned home to their farmhouse in Poggio Cennina, a resort overlooking the Val d’Ambra, to find that someone had broken in. There were multiple items missing, including a watch belonging to Rossi and some cash. The family reported the break-in to the police. An investigation is currently underway.

ESPN reports that thousands gathered in the Italian city of Vicenza on Saturday for the funeral. Rossi’s teammates from the 1982 World Cup-winning team carried his coffin to the cathedral. The group of pallbearers included Marco Tardelli, Antonio Cabrini, Giancarlo Antognoni, Alessandro Altobelli, Franco Causio, Fulvio Collovati and Giuseppe Bergomi.

“I have not only lost a teammate, but also a friend and a brother,” Cabrini said. “Together we fought, we won and we sometimes lost, always picking ourselves up even in the face of disappointment. We were part of a group, that group, our group. I didn’t think he would leave so soon.”

Prior to the funeral service, Rossi’s coffin was placed at the Stadio Romeo Menti in Vicenza. Supporters had the opportunity to lay flowers by the coffin and pay their respects to the World Cup hero. Football players also wore black armbands during Saturday’s matches to pay tribute to the late player.

“Over the last few days, we have received incredible, moving expressions of affection. I hope that Paolo has seen all this affection,” Cappelletti said. “Paolo belonged to the people, to everyone, and it is right that he should be remembered for his greatness.”

Viewed as one of Italy’s greatest footballers, Rossi missed two years of his career due to alleged involvement in an infamous 1980 match-fixing scandal. Although he continued to claim that he was innocent. Rossi returned to Juventus in time for the end of the 1981-82 season, later joining Italy’s national team and playing a major role in the World Cup title.

Rossi turned heads during a match against Brazil, scoring a hat trick to deliver a 3-2 victory and help Italy move on to the semifinals. He found continued success with two decisive goals during the match against Poland, propelling the team to the World Cup Finals. Rossi then scored the first of Italy’s three goals against Germany to help deliver the championship title.