Italian Gennaro Gattuso 'thwarts robbery at his Spanish property

Gennaro Gattuso thwarted an attempted robbery on his home thanks to a high-tech security system and his guard dogs.

A gang of thieves targeted the Italian's house as the Valencia manager was taking charge of the club's match against Cadiz at the Mestalla on Friday, according to a report in Mundo Deportivo.

The attempt has become part of a worrying and ugly trend as criminals take note of fixture lists to see when players and coaches will be involved in games, leaving them to take advantage of the opportunity of an empty house to rob.

However, on this occasion Gattuso was prepared for any such attack on his property, having installed a state-of-the-art security system at his home that included alarms, video cameras and motion sensors.

The former Rangers midfielder had also primed two guard dogs to be on alert, and they managed to chase the would-be thieves away from the house.

Local police are now studying the video evidence to track down who was attempting to rob the property in Campolivar, Godella near Valencia.

It's the latest break-in attempted on footballers following similar attacks in Spain on the Madrid homes of Karim Benzema, Alvaro Morata and Dani Carvajal, and Gattuso's current winger Samu Castillejo in Valencia.

While Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang suffered a broken jaw when his Barcelona house was attacked in August last year before his move to Chelsea.

The Gabonese striker saw four men climb into his garden at the complex in Castelldefels and threaten him with firearms and iron bars, before the crooks escaped with jewels after gaining access to the player's safe.