Raheem Sterling has been forced to flee England’s World Cup squad after burglars reportedly attacked his family in his home in England.
The news of the attack has prompted England national team players to beef up security at their homes.
The burglars are said to have broken into Raheem Sterling’s mansion while his partner and young children were inside, forcing the star to flee England’s World Cup camp to be by their sides.
The robbery attack occurred on Saturday night at Raheem Sterling’s home in leafy Cobham, Surrey, England.
Police were reportedly spotted at Cobham over the weekend, and security patrolled the luxurious estate late into the night on Sunday.
Due to the incident, his teammates at the World Cup are reportedly considering increasing their own levels of personal protection, with the raid being the latest in a string of burglaries on footballers’ homes.
Meanwhile, most of the players’ WAGs were in the Al Bayt Stadium for England’s comfortable 3-0 win over Senegal on Sunday.
However, many have been flying back and forth from Qatar during the tournament to juggle their own careers as well as look after their young children.
Sterling’s partner Paige Milian, 27, posted pictures on a cruise ship in Doha before the Iran game last month but was back in the UK at the time of the raid on Saturday.
A statement released 90 minutes before kick-off last night revealed that Raheem Sterling would miss the final 16 clash to deal with a ‘family matter.’
News of Sterling’s omission, and the shocking circumstances that caused it, was not relayed to the players until the team meeting just before leaving for the Al Bayt Stadium.
Southgate confirmed the winger would be leaving the camp to fly back to the UK but didn’t set a timescale on when he was expected back.
Around £300,000 of watches are thought to have been stolen in the raid, according to a source close to the family.
According to reports, Police had begun investigations and had gone to the scene, and that security had been patrolling late into the night.
Sterling, a father of three, was also targeted by burglars when he played for Manchester City and lived in Cheshire in 2018.
But the gang were scared away when the alarm system was activated and left empty-handed.
While it is not known if and when Sterling will return to the England camp, he was determined to play a pivotal role in their quest to win the World Cup for the first time since 1996, and only the well-being of his children has pushed him to decide to leave the rest of the squad to fly home.
Speaking after the Three Lions’ victory over Senegal, Southgate said of Sterling: ‘The priority for him is to be with his family.
‘We’re going to support that and leave him to have as much time as he needs.
‘He’s going home. I don’t want to put him under pressure. Sometimes football isn’t the most important thing, and family should come first.’
Sterling has three children: his daughter and eldest, Melody Rose, and two sons, Thiago and Thai.
The burglary attack on Raheem Sterling’s home is the latest in a string of burglaries on high-profile footballers.
England have been in Qatar for almost three weeks, and Sterling started their opening games against Iran and USA, scoring in the first and playing a total of 139 minutes across the two fixtures.
He was an unused substitute as Southgate made changes for the final group game against Wales.
