Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero has revealed that one of his sisters once came frighteningly close to being kidnapped in Argentina a few years ago.
Aguero, who retired from professional football in December after doctors detected an irregular heartbeat, opened up about the kidnap attempt during a Twitch broadcast.
He revealed that around 10 years ago, he moved his family into a "private closed neighbourhood" of Argentina's capital Buenos Aires after he found out a group of thugs were looking for his sister with the intention of kidnapping her.
"The issue of kidnaps was a big thing then," Aguero said.
"Luckily I’ve got a lot of contacts and I was told they were looking for one of my sisters at that moment.
"I’ve lived in a slum area and know what it is. It’s very difficult for the parents. Kids are care-free and will say, 'I don’t care, I go where I want on my bike or my motorbike'.
"When something happens it’s the family that suffers and you’re scared s***less.”
Sergio, better known in Argentina by his nickname Kun, is one of seven children. He has two brothers and four sisters - Yesica, Gabriela, Maira and Daiana.
He did not reveal which sister had been the target of the planned kidnapping.
Aguero's former City and Argentina teammate Carlos Tevez was caught up in a similarly terrifying situation in 2014 when his adopted father Secundo was kidnapped on the outskirts of the Argentine capital, and held for eight hours before being released unharmed.
Reports at the time said a £28,000 ransom payment had been made to end the ordeal.
Aguero, who flew to Argentina after his retirement announcement to spend time with friends and family, was filmed last month letting his hair down on the dance floor at son Benji’s 13th birthday.
He left City for Barcelona last year following a record-breaking decade at the Premier League club in which he won five league titles and became its all-time top goalscorer.