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Footballers are some of the most renowned celebrities in today's world. They enjoy massive followings on various social media platforms and their fanbase follows the trends they set with great passion. However, they are also some of the richest people on the planet tied to expensive contracts by their clubs and various brands.
But they are human after all and face the common social problems that others in society do. People steal, either due to need or greed, and robbing someone who appears to have plenty of luxuries always seems justified somehow on their part. But it's deemed illegal by society, and the act often shapes into a violent and hostile one.
Some footballers have unfortunately been on the receiving end of burglary this season and have had to face thugs with dangerous intentions. Here are five renowned ones who went through such adversity.
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#5 Victor Lindelof
Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof is the third most valuable Swedish footballer right now. While the player was away on duty playing for the team against Brentford in the Premier League, an unfortunate incident occurred. Some intruders broke into his family home while his wife, Maja Lindelof, and his two kids were present there.
The centre-back had a happy day in the outfield as the Red Devils beat the Bees by three goals to one. However, it quickly became a rather frightening one for him on the personal front. Lindelof's family did not suffer any physical harm during the incident thanks to Maja's presence of mind as she locked herself with her two kids inside a room.
She was able to call her mother while the intruders were still in the house. Later, the cops and security guards arrived and gave the nod for the family to come out of hiding.
The player's wife is a businesswoman and blogger and has a following of 241,000 on Instagram. She later used the app to inform everyone about the traumatic incident. Ralf Rangnick sympathized with the player and allowed him to take some time off with his family.
Lindelof, along with his wife and kids, went to Sweden and took some time off as things got back to normal for them.
#4 Gabriel Magalhaes
Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes has played his part in solidifying their defense, which has been frequently criticized in the past few years. Along with his new partner Ben White, the Arsenal defence looks improved.
The Brazilian only missed the first three games of the Premier League campaign and has since played every minute of the action. He has also scored on three occasions in the English top-flight this season. Despite having a great time on the field, his off-field experience has been quite a scary one.
While the Arsenal defender was returning home after a night out with a friend, two masked men followed him into the garage. He parked his £45,000 Mercedes into his north London home and got out only to find a masked thug wielding a baseball, threatening him and asking for his belongings.
But, in a courageous display, Gabriel held his own against the attacker who turned aggressive and was successfully able to fight him off. The perpetrator was later identified as Abderaham Muse, after his hat was found at the crime scene and investigated. He was sentenced to five years in prison last year after the incident. It took place in August last year.
#3 Karim Benzema
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema continues his excellent form for a fourth straight season and is only getting better with time. On the pitch, he has been 'robbing' defenders and goalkeepers of their clean sheets, propelling Los Blancos towards another La Liga title.
But did you know that earlier this year, the Frenchman himself was literally robbed? While the Real Madrid striker was on duty, leading the frontline against Elche at the Santiago Bernabeu, robbers broke into his house located in the suburbs of San Sebastian de los Reyes.
The incident occurred in January and luckily Benzema's house was empty at the time. Police did not reveal any information about the value of the stolen items at the time of the complaint. The French striker failed to make an impact in the game and was substituted around the hour mark for Luka Jovic.
Los Blancos were able to bounce back from a 2-0 deficit and earn a draw courtesy of an injury time header from Eder Militao.
#2 Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba is currently the fifth most valuable player at Manchester United and is one of the most popular French footballers on the planet. The midfielder became the latest footballer to have his house burgled in his absence. The incident took place while he was playing for the Red Devils in their do-or-die second leg Champions League game against Atletico Madrid.
Overall, it was a disappointing day for Pogba, who was not only knocked out of the tournament following a narrow 1-0 defeat but also saw his home's security and safety breached by robbers. The heist lasted less than five minutes and coincided with the dying minutes of the game.
It was an agonizing experience for the 29-year old with both his kids present at home while the burglers robbed the house. They were fast asleep and were unharmed in the incident, but Pogba and his wife had no way of knowing that as they rushed home from Old Trafford.
The Frenchman described it as his "worst nightmare" after his £3.5m mansion situated in Hale, Greater Manchester was raided. It was later confirmed that a safe containing his most prized possessions was stolen. Fellow teammates Jesse Lingard and Victor Lindelof have also been victims of such burglaries.
Manchester United have now upped the security at their players' houses.
#1 Joao Cancelo
Manchester City fullback Joao Cancelo had what was probably the most dangerous encounter with thugs and thieves this season. The mood was full of festivities, as it is always around Christmas time with the New Year nearing, but it soon turned scary for the defender and his family.
A gang of four attacked the City player on the evening of December 30th and the encounter left him with bruises and cuts near the right eye. He and his wife Daniela Machado are parents to their two-year-old daughter Alicia. The family was left terrorized after the incident.
The Portuguese himself mentioned in a statement on social media that the gang ran away with all the jewelry that was in the house. But he showed great class and professionalism by returning to the field and starting for Pep Guardiola's team in their hard fought victory against Arsenal just two days later.
Despite being tested off the field, Cancelo continues to maintain impressive standards on it in a City shirt.
