Everton striker Thierno Barry's home burgled during League Cup match

Burglary during a match

Everton striker Thierno Barry said his home in Greater Manchester was burgled on Thursday evening, while he was playing in the fourth-round League Cup match against Newcastle United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. According to BBC News, the 24-year-old Frenchman wrote on Instagram that things 'could have been far worse' had his partner and one-year-old child been at home rather than in the stands at the time. Everton won 3-1 and advanced to the fifth round, with Barry scoring the team's third, match-winning goal.

The player's and police's response

Barry said that from now on he will not put his family 'at risk' by sharing details of his life on social media: 'Perhaps I was too open about my family's life and my own, potentially putting them at risk — all just to show my lifestyle and inspire others.' He added that 'the most important thing in life is to care for and protect those you love,' while everything else is 'merely material.' Greater Manchester Police confirmed it is investigating a report of a burglary on Thursday evening at an address in the Bowdon area of Trafford; no arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.

A string of burglaries targeting footballers

This is not the only recent case involving footballers in north-west England reported by the BBC: in October it was reported that the home of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was burgled, while the team was in Italy, and in January it was reported that the home of Maya Jama and Manchester City player Ruben Dias was burgled in Cheshire. Barry's case differs in that the player's family could have been at home but happened to escape it — precisely the circumstance he cited as the reason to reconsider how public he is about his personal life.

Image source, Press Association