Story By: Alex Cope, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Golders

Former Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista and ex-Evertonian Ramiro Funes Mori have fallen victim to a burglary gang targeting the homes of footballers when they are playing matches.

Paulista, who plays for Valencia, and Funes Mori, who represents Villareal, were targeted by the gang along with Valencia defender and Argentina international Ezequiel Garay.

Local media report the gang targeted the footballers’ houses in the luxury Torre en Conill area in the Valencia region in eastern Spain while they were playing matches.

Pictures Credit: Golders & Golders/@tamara_gorro & Golders/@funesmoriofi & Golders/@ezequielgaray24 & Golders/@gpaulista5

The thieves were reportedly thwarted by the communities’ private security guards as they were trying to break into the houses with “a large mallet”.

Local media report Garay’s wife Tamara Garay, who has more than 1 million followers on social media, was at home when the gang tried to break in.

However, the thugs fled immediately once they spotted the security guards and the Spanish Civil Guard told local media: “They were carrying a large mallet to try and get inside (the houses). They didn’t manage to get in because the security guards acted very quickly and they would have caught them.

Pictures Credit: Golders/@tamara_gorro

“It’s one of the communities with the most security, five patrols.”

Local media report the three footballers have increased the security measures in their homes after the scare.

Gabriel, 28, made 64 appearances for the Gunners in an underwhelming three-year spell before moving to Valencia while Funes Mori made 67 appearances for Everton in three years at the club.