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Shocked Three Lions players are beefing up security at their homes after burglars broke into Raheem Sterling's mansion while his partner and young children were inside, forcing the star to leave England's World Cup camp to be at their side.
The Chelsea forward has rushed home from Qatar to check on the wellbeing of his family after being left 'shaken' by the raid on his gated property in leafy Cobham, Surrey on Saturday night.
Police were at the scene over the weekend and security patrolled the luxurious estate late into the night on Sunday.
Now many of Sterling's teammates are understood to be considering increasing their own levels of protection, with the raid being the latest in a string of burglaries on footballer's homes.
However, many have been flying back and forth from Qatar during the tournament to juggle their own careers as well as looking after young children.
Sterling's partner Paige Milian, 27, posted pictures on a cruise ship in Doha before the Iran game last month, but was back in the UK at the time of the raid.
A statement released 90 minutes before kick-off revealed Sterling - one of Gareth Southgate's most trusted players in major tournaments - would miss the last 16 clash to deal with a 'family matter'.
News of his omission, and the shocking circumstances that caused it, were not relayed to players until the team meeting prior to leaving for the Al Bayt Stadium.
Southgate confirmed the winger would be flying back to the UK, but did not set a timescale on when he was expected back.
Around £300,000 of watches are thought to have been stolen in the raid, a family source told The Sun.
Locals told MailOnline police investigating the burglary had been and gone from the property and security had been patrolling late into the night.
Sterling, a father of three, was also targeted by burglars when he played for Manchester City and lived in Cheshire in 2018. But the gang were scared away when an alarm system was activated and left empty-handed.
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