Former Bundesliga star Nelson Valdez
Soccer star’s family was about to be kidnapped
Nelson Valdez was very lucky: the police foiled the kidnapping of his family.
© NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP via Getty Images
The family of soccer star Nelson Valdez narrowly escaped a crime: the police in Paraguay foiled a planned kidnapping.
Great luck for Nelson Valdez (38) and his loved ones. The family of the former Bundesliga star was supposed to be kidnapped in Paraguay. The police in the city of Caaguazú, with a population of 130,000, were able to thwart the crime at the last minute. Journalist Iván Leguizamón tweeted a video from the time of the arrest of the five gangsters who wanted to carry out the crime in a white Toyota.
According to media reports, the police confiscated several weapons, balaclavas and radios. The plan: First, they wanted to raid and shut down a police station in order to then be able to kidnap Valdez’s family in peace and quiet. Then they would have wanted to demand a ransom of 100,000 US dollars from the former professional. Nelson Valdez, who is said to be in Germany at the moment, said after the arrest to TV station ABC: “Thank God everyone is fine! That’s the most important thing in this situation!”
Valdez became a star player in Bremen
Valdez came to Bremen at the age of 18 and subsequently developed into a real star player. He was part of the legendary doubles team in 2004 and switched to Borussia Dortmund in 2006. After four years in the pot, he first left Germany and played for FC Valencia in Spain, among other places. In the 2014/15 season he played again in the Bundesliga for Eintracht Frankfurt before ending his career in the USA and Paraguay.