Liverpool star Roberto Firmino victim of £70,000 raid by 'hooded gang' of burglars

Liverpool star Roberto Firmino has become the latest Premier League footballer to be targeted by burglars after a "hooded" gang made off with £70,000 (€80,500, $85,000) worth of jewellery and clothes.

The raid on the Brazilian attacker's Victorian house, in the leafy Mossley Hill suburb of Liverpool, was carried out on 22 December, just two days before Firmino was arrested for drink-driving in the city centre.

The gang of burglars are thought to have stalked the 25-year-old's home and waited until he left with his wife, Larissa, and their two baby children, before carrying out the break-in.

"While the occupiers were not in at the time, it has clearly been very upsetting to find their home has been targeted in this way," detective inspector Steve Christian of Liverpool CID told the Liverpool Echo. "I would ask the offenders to do the right thing and return the stolen items to the owner in any way possible."

Firmino and his family were moved to a hotel following the raid, with the club placing a security team at his home.

A police investigation into the burglary is ongoing, with forensic officers having already examined the home for evidence.

The same gang was believed to have attempted a break-in at the property before, but was disturbed by the family returning home, The Sun reported.

The suspects were described as male and wearing hoods, with one said to have been wearing a navy blue Puffa coat.

Police appealed for anyone "who might have been offered the items for sale since the burglary" to contact officers.

Firmino, who is due to appear in court on 31 January after being charged with drink-driving, is just the latest football star to be targeted by thieves in recent years.

An attempted raid on the home of Manchester United's Wayne Rooney in August, carried out while the forward played in a club testimonial, left wife Coleen shaken and saying she feared for the safety of her children.

A former serviceman from Scarborough, Robert McNamara, 25, was jailed for the attempted break-in last month.

Everton players Romelu Lukaku and Tom Cleverly have also been targeted in the past two years, while Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina saw his Mercedes sports car taken on a joy ride across north London after thieves raided his £16m home in 2015.

Anyone with information on the break-in at Firmino's home should contact detectives in Liverpool on 0151 777 4065 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.