Thierno Barry’s Home Burgled While He Scored in Everton’s Cup Win

• Everton striker Thierno Barry’s home was burgled on Thursday night as he played in the 3-1 Carabao Cup win over Newcastle, per Daily Mail.
• His partner Charlene says nobody was home and has offered a financial reward for information.
• Barry is the latest footballer hit after Morgan Gibbs-White and Bruno Fernandes had their homes burgled this month.

A Family Appeals for Help After Burglars Hit a Footballer’s Home Again

Thierno Barry played the full 90 minutes for Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Thursday night and scored in a 3-1 Carabao Cup win over Newcastle, a night that added to a strong start for the striker whose tearful training video went public last season. While he played, burglars broke into his home. His partner Charlene, who was at the stadium watching him, told her followers on Instagram: “Unfortunately, our home was burgled this evening while we were at the football match.”

What Charlene Said

The couple have a one-year-old daughter. Charlene made clear that nobody was in the house when the burglars came.

“Thankfully, nobody was home at the time, but this is still an extremely distressing and violating experience for us and our family,” she wrote.

She asked anyone who has seen or heard anything suspicious to get in touch. The couple are also willing to pay a financial reward for any information that helps identify those responsible.

Barry added Everton’s third with roughly 20 minutes left, finishing at the far post after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall carried a counter-attack forward, and Dan Burn headed a late consolation for Newcastle. Much of the talk on the night went to Jack Grealish, on loan at Everton from Manchester City, who was left out of the squad for a breach of club discipline.

A Pattern of Break-Ins

Barry is the latest in a string of Premier League players targeted in recent days.

Morgan Gibbs-White’s family home in Nottinghamshire was burgled a few days before Barry’s. His partner Britney De Villiers, who lives with him and their two children, posted a warning on Instagram on Tuesday. “I wasn’t going to publicly share this but our home was burgled a few days ago,” she wrote, adding that hearing of another break-in made her feel it was important to warn others. Her message continued: “Please be extra vigilant, make sure your security systems are on whether you’re in the house or not and report anything suspicious.”

The other case belongs to Bruno Fernandes. His £4million house in Nether Alderley, Cheshire, was hit at about 8.30pm on Wednesday 21 October, the night Manchester United lost 4-1 at Como, a game that drew Fernandes’s reaction to the Como thrashing. Fernandes, his wife Ana Pinho and their two young children were not at home. A Cheshire Police spokesperson said the caller “reported three unknown men in the rear garden of a neighbouring property” and that on arrival, “there was no trace of the suspects” but officers found “there had been a burglary at the address and a number of items had been stolen.”

The intruders are understood to have been in the house for around five minutes before police arrived, after a neighbour spotted them acting suspiciously in the back garden. The house backs on to woods, and the burglars are understood to have jumped the fence to reach it. The family had installed CCTV and a high-tech alarm. They took designer jewellery and other expensive items.

A Problem That Keeps Returning

Footballers have been targets for years. Liverpool alone have had Sadio Mane, Dejan Lovren, Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt, Pepe Reina, Robbie Keane and Lucas Leiva go through it. Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy were victims twice, and a hooded gang raided Roberto Firmino’s house in 2017, taking £70,000 of jewellery, watches and clothes. Everton’s Phil Jagielka was held at knifepoint in 2009 by an armed gang who broke into his home and forced him to open the safe.

Players have long been told to be careful about what they post. Footballers have been warned about sharing pictures or videos from inside their homes, or telling the world when they are away on holiday, and insurance companies give the same advice. A gang that targeted John Terry’s house in 2017 while he was away skiing was jailed for a combined 28 years. The judge said it might have been a mistake to post a family photograph online showing he was away on holiday, and that his home was then deliberately targeted.

What Happens Next

Charlene’s appeal is the next step. The family wants anyone with information to come forward, and the reward is on offer for details that identify those responsible. Everton face Fleetwood Town in the next round of the cup.

WRITTEN BY

George Howson

George Howson is a Futbol Chronicle contributor and accredited journalist with over 20 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, George has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing deep knowledge and first-hand insight to every match report and analysis he writes.

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