Alex Iwobi was held at knifepoint in his own home by a gang of armed robbers who made off with watches, jewellery, electronics and around £200,000 in cash from his safe, in a terrifying ordeal that left the Fulham midfielder shaken but physically unharmed, Footynaija.com reports.
Iwobi is no stranger to making headlines, but nothing in his career has prepared him for what happened on Monday. A group of thieves broke into his property undetected, but the plan changed the moment they came face to face with the 29-year-old inside.
Rather than flee, they restrained him at knifepoint and used the time to ransack every room in the house. As revealed in a report by Daily Sports, designer wristwatches, jewellery, two iPhones, a MacBook and the contents of his safe were all taken before the gang decided there was nothing left and disappeared.
Iwobi freed himself after they left and called the police, who arrived quickly and have launched a formal investigation. Neither the footballer nor any family members present at the time sustained physical injuries, which given the circumstances counts as a huge relief.
The attack, meanwhile, fits a troubling pattern. Premier League footballers have become a regular target for organised robbery gangs who study routines and strike at the most vulnerable moments.
Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez and Chelsea’s Reece James were hit in similar fashion, with break-ins happening while they were away playing. Iwobi’s case, per the report, is among the more costly in recent memory, with the total estimated value of stolen goods sitting at £500,000.
