Armed robbers target footballer

Vince Grella was shaken, but uninjured by the incident

A Premier League footballer was robbed at knifepoint by robbers who targeted his Cheshire home.

The masked gang broke into the home of 29-year-old Blackburn Rovers midfielder Vince Grella in Wilmslow on Sunday.

The four men demanded jewellery, watches and the keys to his BMW X5, which they drove off in and later abandoned in Sale Moor.

Mr Grella was left shaken but uninjured. His wife and daughters were not at home.

The Australian-born player left Italian club Torino last year for Blackburn Rovers. The club did not want to comment on the burglary.

Several footballers have been the target of robbers at their homes in the last two years.

Victims include Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, whose Merseyside home was burgled when he was away with the club.

The homes of Emile Heskey and Roque Santa Cruz have also been targeted, and an armed gang broke into the home of Manchester United player Darren Fletcher.

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