FOOTIE RAID
Chris Smalling held at gunpoint with wife & son, 2, and forced to hand over Rolex & jewellery at Italian home
CHRIS Smalling was robbed at gunpoint in front of his wife and toddler son when three hooded men broke into his home.
The ex-England defender, 31, who plays for Italian club Roma, was sleeping when the armed thugs broke into his home and forced him to open his safe.
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Smalling, who played for Manchester United for 10 years, handed over a Rolex watch and other items of jewellery, reports.
His wife Sam Cooke, 35, called the police at 5am this morning after the break-in at the home in the Appia Antica area of Rome.
The robbery reportedly happened in front of the couple's two-year-old son Leo.
Roma were playing in the Europa League last night but Smalling was injured with a knee injury.
According to local media, the young family were "very distressed" by the robbery.
Police have launched an investigation and are supporting the victims.
Smalling, who signed for Roma last year after a successful loan spell, won two Premier League titles with Manchester United after signing from Fulham.
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He married former Page 3 glamour model Sam in June 2017.
The couple's son Leo was born before they moved to Italy.
Smalling, who earned 31 England caps, spoke about how Sam supported him when he moved to Italy.
He told : "My wife has always been supportive. She said 'If you want to move, we'll all move. We'll do what's best for your football.'
"I knew she'd say that, which I appreciated.
"So I moved. I lived in a hotel for a month and we moved into a beautiful house last week. It's 700 hundred years old, just outside Rome.
"It's surrounded by greenery which is important with our dogs. Everyone is here now and that feels good."
This is the latest in a series of raids against footballers in Italy.
In January, Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie's home was robbed while he was playing against SPAL in the Italian Cup.
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The ruthless criminals stole the American's football boots and designer clothes, Sky Sports Italia reports.
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Last October, the villa of Smalling's manager at Roma Paulo Fonseca was raided with up to £87,000 stolen.
Thankfully, the Portuguese manager and his family were not at his home in Monteverde during the robbery.
Chris Smalling talks about playing for AS Roma and the Europa League