AS Roma player Chris Smalling, his wife and their two-year-old son were held at gunpoint during an armed robbery on Friday. Three masked burglars broke into Smalling’s residence in Rome and the defender was forced to hand over jewelry, a Rolex watch and other valuables from a private safe, Gazzetta dello Sport reports. 

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The incident took place around 5:00 AM. The local police received a call from Smalling’s wife immediately after the burglary. The criminals are being hunted, the report adds. The 31-year-old player and his family are reportedly ‘very distressed’, however initial reports indicate they were at least physically unharmed.

The former Manchester United defender is recovering from a minor knee injury. He  missed Roma’s Europa League quarter-final home leg against Ajax on Thursday. A 1-1 tie (3-2 aggregate) saw Roma qualify for the semi-finals against United to be played next week. 

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Smalling joined Roma on loan from Manchester United in 2019. However he signed a permanent contract in 2020. The player has not made an official statement about the robbery yet. 

Last year, Roma coach Paulo Fonseca and Lazio Rome player Joaquin Correa were victims of burglaries while they were away with their teams.