Bayern Munich star burgled on birthday as he played match
German police have confirmed that Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Muller's house was broken into during his side's 2-0 win over FC Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with thieves getting away with "cash, jewelry, and valuables in the mid-six-figure range."
The Bavarians have been in a slump in the Bundesliga after drawing their last three games, which triggered talk of a crisis under manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Cementing their position at the top of Group C, however, Bayern beat the Catalans 2-0 thanks to goals in the second half from Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane.
There were mixed fortunes for 2014 World Cup winner Muller, though, who despite celebrating his 33rd birthday had his house broken into at roughly 10pm local time, when the match was midway through, as reported by Bild.
"Yesterday evening at around 22:00, the police were notified of a burglary at a single-family house in the municipality of Otterfing via an alarm center and several patrols were sent to the property to check it out," began a statement from police.
"While only a few minutes later the first patrol car from the Holzkirchen police station arrived at the residential building, at least two unknown perpetrators fled through the garden into an adjacent field and escaped in the dark.
"As a result, other emergency services as well as service dog handlers and a police helicopter were alerted to the community of Otterfing for an intensive search for the escaped burglars. However, the search measures have been unsuccessful to date," it continued.
Police said that with the thieves still unidentified, the investigation is now being continued by the Miesbach Police Station.
Muller, who did not give any post-match interviews following the Barcelona win, is the second high-profile footballer to be targeted in recent weeks after former Barca striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was beaten and robbed by an armed gang.
According to El Pais in Spain, four men entered the Gabon international's garden at his complex in the up-scale Castelldefels region, which is where Lionel Messi still owns a home, and threatened him with iron bars and firearms.
Citing a police report, the outlet said that ex-Arsenal man Aubameyang was "beaten” in front of wife Alysha Behague ahead of the thugs making off in a white Audi A3 with jewelry after they accessed a safe.
Aubameyang then joined Chelsea on transfer deadline day eager to be reunited with manager Thomas Tuchel only for the tactician who he knows from their Borussia Dortmund days to be fired a week later.
