Brazil icon Zico is 'robbed in Paris' as briefcase containing £420,000 worth of items are 'stolen from taxi'... after Javier Mascherano previously claimed thieves targeted Argentina's Olympic base

Brazil football legend Zico has been robbed in France ahead of the Paris Olympics grand opening after his briefcase containing a reported £420,000 worth of jewels and bank notes was stolen, according to reports.

France is set to officially mark the opening of the Games on Friday evening and are already having their security status tested after Zico was robbed while traveling in a taxi.

The 71-year-old had travelled to France to watch the Olympics get underway and is now the alleged victim of a frightening ordeal that has seen him suffer a huge financial loss.

Zico left his hotel in Paris and was traveling with a briefcase containing a diamond necklace, cash and a high-end luxury Rolex watch, as reported by Le Parisien.

It was during the taxi journey that it is reported his vehicle was approached by one individual tasked with distracting the driver while another approached the rear of the car.

Zico's briefcase was then snatched and the pair quickly made off as the Brazilian lost his chest of valuables during an orchestrated operation carried out in the Olympics host city.

Police have now began an investigation into the incident and France's Brigade for the Repression of Banditry is expected to be in charge of finding the perpetrators.

Zico is in Paris as part of Brazil's Olympics delegation that has seen a host of athletes make the trip from the South American nation and hope to lift titles in football and other events.

Other similar incidents are also reported to have taken place at the Games with Argentina head coach Javier Mascherano complaining that his team's Olympic training base was robbed before their game against Morocco.

'They went into training and they robbed us, in the Olympic Games,' Mascherano said after his team's chaotic 2-1 defeat.

'We didn't want to say anything after training, I don't think it helps anything. But obviously it's a bit disagreeable that these kinds of things happen.' Argentina's delegation filed a police complaint afterwards. 

Zico's near multi-million loss also comes in the aftermath of tourists travelling to the legendary sporting demonstration being reminded of taking taxis when making trips across France's capital.

More than 11.5 million tourists are expected to flock to Paris for the Olympics, according to figures from the city's tourism board, with taxi drivers and other travel providers expecting a huge summer of business.

Many fans will be travelling from the UK — in January, Paris 2024 organisers said British fans had already bought half a million tickets for the Games, more than any country other than France. 

Criminals are preying on tourists' confusion amid the crowds, and an investigation in Paris by Money Mail previously revealed the scale of the risk that holidaymakers face upon arrival.

Zico faced a different danger after he was the reported victim of a targeted attack that resulted in his briefcase being taken in a highly unusual incident.

The veteran is a legend in Brazilian football where he earned iconic status at Flamengo during an astonishing period of success in the club's history.

He spent the majority of his career at one of the nation's most prestigious teams, winning several top titles including four Brazilian top-flight championships and the Intercontinental Cup where Flamengo beat Liverpool 3-0.

He later moved to Italy and starred for Udinese before later finishing his playing career in Japan and moving into management where he coached a host of top European sides.