France jails two over break-in at Ángel Di María's home

A French court on Wednesday jailed two men over a 2021 burglary at the home of Paris Saint-Germain's former Argentine player Ángel Di María.

The break-in from his house in the affluent Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on March 14, 2021 saw the burglars make off with around 40 luxury watches, jewellery and cash together worth an estimated 500,000 euros (US$530,000 at today's exchange rate).

Di Maria, who has since joined Italian side Juventus, was playing in a League 1 match against Nantes at the time.

His wife and two children were at home, but did not see any burglar.

A man identified as Mehdi B. was sentenced to four years in jail for the burglary, while the second perpetrator, Reda B., was handed a three-year term.

A woman was given a suspended six-month sentence for having helped the two men, while a second woman was released.

The investigation found that at least one of the burglars slipped into the footballer's house via a third-floor terrace.

Mobile phone tracking and security camera footage showed the accused had planned the robbery in advance.

Reda B. was also found guilty at the same trial of having tried to break into the home of German soccer player Julian Draxler, who also used to play for PSG, in early 2021.

On the same day as the break-in at Di María's house, the family home of PSG's Brazilian captain Marquinhos was also burgled in another Paris suburb while his father and two sisters were present.

Another French court last month handed jail terms to two men over that incident.

–– TIMES/AFP