The Times - UK (2022-01-01)

the times | Saturday January 1 2022 17

News

A Premier League footballer was as-
saulted and robbed by “four cowards” at
his home during the latest attack on
high-profile players.
João Cancelo, a full-back for Man-
chester City, was seen with a deep cut
above his right eye after trying to fight
off the unidentified attackers. He said
his family were threatened.
The robbers left with jewellery
following the break-in on Thursday
evening. “Unfortunately today I was as-
saulted by four cowards who hurt me
and tried to hurt my family,” Cancelo,
27, said on social media.
“When you show re-
sistance this is what hap-
pens. They managed to
take all my jewellery
and leave me with my
face in this state. I don’t
know how there are
people with such mean-
ness. The most impor-

Jewel robbers assault football star at home

tant thing for me is my family and lucki-

ly they are all OK. After so many obsta-

cles in my life this is just one more that

I will overcome. Firm and strong, like

always.”

Cancelo, from Portugal, lives in the

northwest with his partner Daniela

Machado and their two-year-old

daughter. He joined City from Juventus

in the summer of 2019.

Manchester City said in a statement:

“We are shocked and appalled that João

Cancelo and his family were subjected

to a burglary at their home this evening

during which João was also assaulted.

“João and his family are being sup-

ported by the club and

he is helping the police

with their enquiries as

they investigate this

very serious matter.”

The club were decid-

ing whether Cancelo

would travel to London

with the squad for to-

day’s match against Ar-

senal.

Last month, a man was

sentenced to five months

in prison for an attack on the Arsenal

player Gabriel Magalhães.

The Brazilian defender fought off an

attempted robbery by two men with a

baseball bat at his home in north

London in August. They had followed

him and a friend home from a night out,

and demanded he hand over keys to the

£45,000 Mercedes in his garage, his

mobile phone and watch. The player

scuffled with the men and they fled.

Thefts targeting footballers is not a

recent development — between 2006

and 2009, nearly two dozen Premier

League footballers were burgled in the

suburbs of Liverpool and Manchester.

Simon Giddins, a security consult-

ant, previously told The Athletic web-

site: “We’re talking about rich, young

men who often wear their wealth, be

that with jewellery or watches, and put

it all over social media.

“And you have a timetable. How

many industries are there where you

can know where people will be months

in advance? And everyone knows

where the training grounds are, so you

can work out the routes. There is also

an issue of how easy it is to find out

where these guys live, particularly in

the northwest. If I got off the train in

Manchester and hopped in a taxi, I

could give the driver £100 and say,

‘Show me where all the players live’.”

Paul Hirst, Charlotte Wace Easy targets

Sept 2021 Reece James, the Chelsea

defender, posts footage of burglars

taking a safe from his house.

March 2021 Everton’s Robin Olsen is

targeted by balaclava-wearing

burglars at his home in Cheshire.

May 2020 Dele Alli is at his home

when armed raiders order the Spurs

star to hand over valuables.

Dec 2007 Steven Gerrard’s wife,

Alex, is confronted by four burglars

in balaclavas while he is playing for

Liverpool in France.

João Cancelo posted a
picture of his injury

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jack blackburn

TMS

[email protected] | @timesdiary

Advice worth

listening to

The comic Barry Cryer, that

encyclopaedia of anecdotage, is

conquering new mediums at the

age of 86. Along with his son Bob,

he has started a podcast called

Now, Where Were We? and Barry,

below, is astonished by the format.

“He was amazed,” says Bob. “He

couldn’t believe anything existed

that paid less than radio.” The

show invites guests to share their

favourite stories and Stephen Fry

had one from the actor Anthony

Hopkins, who once understudied

for Laurence Olivier. Irritatingly,

Olivier watched him during

rehearsals and summoned him.

“Just a word of advice, Tony,” he

said. “Don’t be afraid to imitate.”

Hopkins was about to reply

furiously to this arrogance before

Olivier added: “Take my

performance... pure Harry

Worth.”

For anyone nursing a hangover this

morning, well done! The American

humourist PJ O’Rourke says that to

have a rotten headache today

shows you’ve done the right thing.

“The proper behaviour all through

the holiday season is to be drunk,”

he says. “This drunkenness

culminates on New Year’s Eve,

when you get so drunk you kiss the

person you’re married to.”

staying resolute

Dame Jenni Murray’s new

year’s resolution is not to have

a new year’s resolution. The

erstwhile matriarch of Women’s

Hour tells Saga magazine

that she’ll no longer

declare on New Year’s

Eve that she’s stubbed

out her last cigarette

“only to wake up the

next morning and head

to the garden with a

strong cup of coffee for

the hangover and a quick

fag to go with it”. She

adds: “Why do we feel we need to

make ourselves better people? Why

do we resolve to be kinder to those

we know in our hearts we really

don’t like?” Quite. Goodwill to all

men was so last week.

written in the stars

Good news for the prime minister:

he will turn the political tide in the

new year. It’s written in the stars.

A brief glance at the horoscope for

2022 shows good news for

Geminis such as Mr Johnson: he

will have his “charisma enhanced”

and become “more single-minded”

about his projects. He also has

Mars travelling through his sign,

which should show an “increase in

desire” (if such a thing were

possible). Less good news for Sir

Keir Starmer, a Virgo, whose

leadership of Labour is in peril. It

doesn’t explicitly say that, but his

horoscope predicts he will soon

have time to try new food and

“enrol on an online course”.

Excellent news for francophiles as,

from today, cafés and restaurants

across the Channel must supply free

tap water. Gone are the days where

one would order l’eau and be served

exorbitantly priced mineral water.

Too many patrons have picked up

their bills to find that things had

gone from Badoit to worse.

virginia creepers

The fact miners at QI have

highlighted a new piece of

research which suggests that

people are disproportionately

likely to live in places which sound

like their name. “There are

more Louises in St Louis than

would occur by chance,” they

say, “and women named

Virginia are more likely to

choose to live in

Virginia.” This news has

gone down poorly in

some areas. My new

wife, for instance,

wishes she’d known

this before she took

my surname.