Two Italian travelling burglars who raided Liverpool footballer Alexander Isak’s home have been jailed for targeting other Premier League stars.
Valentino Nikolov, 34, and his nephew Charlie Jovanovic, 24, travelled to the UK from Italy and researched footballers’ social media and training grounds.
Equipped with masks, torches and even chemical spray to subdue the owners’ dogs, the crooks burgled the homes of Matheus Cunha, Leon Bailey and Neil Etheridge while they were playing away matches.
The raiders stole up to £500,000 in designer clothes and jewellery from Cunha’s property and around £15,000 from Etheridge’s home, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
But the burglars were unable to steal anything from Bailey’s property after a security system alerted police to the raid.
Nikolov and Jovanovic are already in jail for stealing £68,000 in jewellery and £10,000 in cash, with the help of two other family members, from Alexander Isak’s Newcastle mansion in April 2024.
Siblings, Giacomo Nikolov, 28, and Jela Jovanovic, 43, were jailed for eight years and seven years and two months for their role in the burglary.
They also targeted two other affluent properties in the Tyneside area stealing £1.1million in clothes, handbags and jewellery.
Valentino Nikolov, an Italian burglar who raided football star Alexander Isak’s mansion, has been jailed for targeting other Premier League stars
Pictured, Charlie Jovanovic, 24, who helped Nikolov raid Isak’s home has also been jailed for the burglaries
Liverpool striker, Alexander Isak’s property was targeted by the two burglars and £68,000 in jewellery and £10,000 in cash was stolen in April 2024
Anne Richardson, prosecuting, said: ‘They targeted wealthy, professional footballers in Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
‘Each was professionally planned by this organised crime group, who travelled from Italy with this specific purpose.’
Ms Richardson added that the victims were identified using social media and ‘reconnaissance’ at football training grounds and club visits.
‘The information was used to carry out burglaries while players were playing away for their clubs and obviously known to be playing away,’ she said.
Jovanovic, who is currently serving a six years and nine months sentence, has today received an additional two years and four months in jail.
His uncle, who is serving ten years in prison has received an extra one year and four months to his sentence.
Ms Richardson said Neil Etheridge’s home was targeted on December 23, 2023 while he was playing an away match for Birmingham City and his wife was out.
‘His wife was alerted by an internal baby monitor which showed a figure in a bedroom at their home,’ she said.
Matheus Cunha, who now plays for Manchester United, pictured celebrating scoring a goal
Leon Bailey, pictured, during the Trofeo de La Ceramica match between Villarreal CF and Aston Villa
Goalkeeper Neil Etheridge pictured giving his teammates instructions during a football match for Birmingham City
‘She called 999 and the footage showed two males climbing over a wall into the garden before climbing up and into their property via first floor bedroom window.’
The intruders, who were wearing masks and carrying torches, carried out an ‘untidy search’ in the house and appeared to use chemical spray on their dogs, the court heard.
Just four days later, Matheus Cunha’s property was raided while he was playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
His wife, noticed something was awry when she returned home at 9.45pm after heading out earlier in the day to see one of the dogs running loose in the garden.
Police were then contacted and between £350,000 and £500,000 in designer goods was stolen.
The spree continued on New Year’s Eve at Leon Bailey’s home when he was playing for Aston Villa. But the property’s security system raised the alarm that two men in dark clothing were trying to break in.
Sentencing the thieves, Judge Robert Spragg said: ‘You travelled from abroad to carry out the burglaries as part of an organised criminal family group.
‘You had clearly carefully researched and targeted your victims. These were sophisticated and planned offences with gloves, torches, disguises and spray for dogs.’
The judge added that detectives liaised with the Italian authorities to link the burglars to the other crimes.
‘The message sent by the police is if you travel to this country to commit offences of this type you will be caught and you will be put before the courts,’ he said.
Both men, who admitted conspiracy to burgle, will now face deportation.
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