Sheffield United star Sander Berge targeted by thieves in £100k raid

Sheffield United footballer Sander Berge had jewellery worth £100,000 stolen from his house - just a day before scoring in the Blades' vital Championship play-off semi-final.

The Norwegian midfielder's property, based in the affluent Ranmoor area of Sheffield, was targeted by two offenders who got in through a window. The crooks escaped with watches, necklaces and other valuables with a combined value of £100,000.

A statement from South Yorkshire Police said: "Police were called at around 1.40pm on Friday, May 13, to reports of a burglary. It is reported that two unknown offenders gained entry to the property through a window and stole a quantity of jewellery. Enquiries are ongoing to locate those involved."

Sheffield United said in a statement: "We are aware of the incident and are supporting Sander as much as possible. The matter is now in the hands of South Yorkshire Police and we hope they can bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice."

The burglary continues a worrying trend of break-ins involving footballers. Last week details emerged during court cases of violent robberies involving former England and Chelsea man Ashley Cole and ex-Hull and Derby player Tom Huddlestone.

The incident with Berge occurred just a day before he scored a potentially crucial goal in the Blades' 2-1 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their play-off semi-final at Bramall Lane.

Berge, aged 24, joined United for what was a club record fee back in January 2020 after arriving from Belgian club Genk. He struggled with injuries in his first full season at the club in 2020-21 and made just 15 appearances as United were relegated from the Premier League.

He was heavily linked with a summer exit from the South Yorkshire club, with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Napoli all said to be interested, but he remained put. His outing on Saturday was his 33rd appearance of the season for Paul Heckingbottom's side who now face a big task in Tuesday's second leg at the City Ground.

"It certainly did change the mentality and the feelings in both camps," Heckingbottom said, referring to Berge's stoppage time strike which halved the deficit after goals from Jack Colback and Brennan Johnson had threatened to see Forest run away with the tie.

"We know what we've got to do. We've got to go there and put on a performance. It's half-time. 90 minutes away from potentially being at Wembley. That's our approach and we'll do everything to get there. We know what's at stake, what have we got to lose? We've been in this position from day one. Chasing, chasing, chasing. It's no different to us, that's fine, we're comfortable with it. We just know we have to deliver. Clear what we have to do. We're ready, we're prepared, recovered well. The boys are ready to go."