How Jack Grealish home invasion terror is latest in string of attacks by burglars who time raids on footballers’ mansions while the stars are playing away games – including Kurt Zouma, Raheem Sterling and Paul Pogba
Burglars targeting the homes of top footballers appear to be monitoring stars' schedules to take advantage of their absence from away matches – after the home of Manchester City winger Jack Grealish was broken into this week.
The 28-year-old's £5.6million mansion was reportedly ransacked on Wednesday while his family were inside watching him play in a 3-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park in Liverpool.
Family members, including his fiancée Sasha Attwood, were forced to flee and hide after being alerted by barking dogs and noises upstairs; The thieves made off with a reported £1 million worth of jewellery.
It is the latest in a series of raids targeting well-known footballers such as Kurt Zouma, Raheem Sterling, Paul Pogba and Victor Lindelof. More often than not, thieves wait until their tracks are away from home before they strike.
Players are reportedly spending thousands of pounds on ex-SAS officers, guard dogs and panic rooms to protect themselves and their loved ones from criminals targeting luxury watches and bling in smash-and-grab attacks.
Jack Grealish (left, with Bernardo Silva) plays in the match between Manchester City and Everton on Wednesday evening. Thieves raided his home while his family was watching the game
Grealish's fiancée Sasha Attwood (pictured with the winger) was one of ten family members in the house at the time
Grealish's captain Kevin De Bruyne was targeted by thieves in his native Belgium just weeks ago
Kurt Zouma with his wife Sandra at their home. He was targeted by thieves earlier this month
Manchester City and England play Raheem Sterling with his girlfriend Paige Milian; his house was targeted while he was playing in the World Cup in Qatar
Paul Pogba with his wife Zulay. He and his wife were away when their home was burglarized last year
Victor Lindelof with his wife Maja on holiday in France. His house was burgled while he was playing a match for Manchester United against Brentford
Sources said the sun that the burglars snuck around Grealish's seven-bed home upstairs while his family sat downstairs cheering him on during Wednesday night's televised match.
One said: 'The family are really shocked. The gang took a lot of watches and jewelry.
'They carried out their raid as Manchester City were playing live on TV and his whole family had gathered downstairs to cheer him on.
'No one was injured, but there was a lot of panic. Everyone was terrified because they were all so vulnerable.”
Grealish only played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday was then seen running through the tunnel immediately after the whistle, reports Jack Gaughan of Mail Sport.
A spokesman for Cheshire Police told the Sun: 'At around 9.50pm on Wednesday, December 27, police were called to reports of a burglary. The caller reported that some items had been stolen.
'Officers supported by police dogs and the National Police Air Service were deployed and a search was carried out in the area, but no trace of the suspects could be found. No arrests have been made at this time and the investigation is ongoing.”
The raid on Grealish's home comes less than two weeks after his captain, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, was targeted by thieves in his native Belgium.
Robbers destroyed his home in Bolderberg, Heusden-Zolder, which has a swimming pool, jacuzzi and basketball court, and took an unknown amount of belongings, the Belgian news outlet reports. HLN.
De Bruyne and his family were not at the house – which is used sporadically as the star normally lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire – at the time of the raid.
Closer to home, other British-based footballers have also fallen victim to gangs who may have flown in from Eastern Europe with the aim of raiding the homes of high-profile targets – often, but not always, while they are playing away games. .
Kurt Zouma's mansion in Essex was attacked on December 2 while he, his wife Sandra and their four children were at home. Burglars sneaked into an upstairs room and took jewelry and watches.
The raid shocked neighbors and prompted the Frenchman's club, West Ham, to offer a £25,000 reward for information leading to the gang's arrest.
Pogba shared his family's horrific ordeal on social media and offered a reward for any information
Manchester United's rising star Tahith Chong was reportedly robbed at knifepoint in January 2022 by thieves who mocked his lack of security
Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo was attacked by intruders at home when he tried to stop them taking jewellery. He shared this image of his injuries
Cancelo pictured with his partner Daniela – they have a daughter together named Alicia
A year ago, Raheem Sterling's £7million home in Oxshott, Surrey, was raided while he was representing England at the World Cup, with £300,000 worth of valuables stolen.
Sterling flew home hours before England's crucial clash with Senegal in Qatar to be interviewed by investigators before returning for the side's quarter-final against France, which they lost.
A 23-year-old man appeared in court earlier this year accused of taking part in 33 raids, including one at Sterling's home.
He did not enter a plea during the hearing and only spoke to confirm his name through an interpreter in Albanian, with the trial set to take place in February next year.
And in March 2022, Paul Pogba's house was broken into within minutes while he was playing for Manchester United in a Champions League match.
The thieves broke in while his children were sleeping, forcing Pogba and his wife Zulay to rush home. The footballer is convinced that the timing of the raid was deliberate.
He wrote on social media: 'This happened in the final minutes of last night's game when they knew we wouldn't be home.'
Pogba was the latest in a string of then Man U players to be broken into after other attacks on Tahith Chong, Jesse Lingard and Victor Lindelof.
Chong was at home in Sale in January 2022 when thieves broke in, allegedly holding knives to his throat as they stole valuables and mocking his lack of security.
Police reportedly warned Chong, who now plays for Luton Town, that his attackers may have been monitoring his social media for signs of wealth.
Lindelof's house was hit three days after Chong's when he was playing for Manchester United against Brentford; his wife Maja and their children were home at the time.
Lingard was also targeted by 'away day' robbers while playing against Aston Villa in Birmingham that same month. And a month earlier, Man City Joao Cancelo was attacked by robbers after he tried to prevent them from making off with jewellery.
He posted images of his injuries on Instagram and wrote: 'If you show resistance, this happens. They managed to take all my jewelry and left me with my face in this state.
'I don't understand how there are people who are so mean. After so many obstacles in my life, this is another one I will overcome.”
Security sources previously told Mail Sport of fears that foreign gangs are arriving with accomplices to steal goods before brazenly walking through airport security with their new bling and returning home.
Players are reportedly being told by their clubs not to publicize their time away by not sharing holiday photos or photos of them at events on social media until they return home.
Some players have been installing extensive security measures in their homes for a number of years, including panic rooms with secure phone lines, 'geofencing' measures that protect homes with cameras and motion sensors and private security.
Stars have even been told not to visit jewelers in public lest they be spotted by 'spotters' who keep an eye on customers coming in and out of expensive stores. Instead, they should ask stonemasons to visit them at home.