England wives and girlfriends have been lending their support to Raheem Sterling's family as he prepares to fly back to Qatar.
His partner Paige Milian, 27, returned to their Surrey home on Saturday to discover it had been burgled and hundreds of pounds worth of property stolen. Sterling left the England camp in Qatar and flew home on Sunday to comfort her and their children Thiago, five, and Thai Cruz, who is three.
He spent his 28th birthday at home on Wednesday before flying back to Doha on Thursday. Some of the England wives and girlfriends have been encouraging Paige to return to Qatar for the game too.
"The wags have sent messages of support and encouraged her and kids to join back up with them," said an insider. "They hope that it might help to take her mind off the break in. They were all chatting and video calling before this happened as kids had all made friends while they were in Qatar together. They feel for her and want to try and help."
It is understood Paige returned to the UK because of a work commitment. She had attended England's group games with her children and Raheem's daughter Melody Rose, 10, from a previous relationship.
Two men were arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary in an incident in the village where the footballer lives. Surrey Police said they received a report of "suspicious activity" in Oxshott, Leatherhead, at 6.40 pm on Tuesday.
The force initially said it was investigating whether there was a possible link between the arrests and the break-in reported at Sterling's mansion, where jewellery and watches, said to be worth £300,000, were stolen.
But they later clarified that the arrests were "not being linked to an ongoing investigation into a burglary which received significant media coverage over the weekend". They added: "That separate investigation remains ongoing and as of 12pm on December 7 no arrests have been made."
The £47m Chelsea star was said to be "shaken" by the burglary and its impact on his children. He missed England's 3-0 victory over Senegal after flying home. Shortly before kick-off, the Football Association said Sterling would not be available for selection against Senegal because of a "family matter".
His team-mate Kalvin Phillips said on Thursday that the team was glad to have him back. "It is a massive lift," he said. "We are just happy that everything is alright and he can rejoin us and play a big part in this game. I did not know it was his birthday, I have not messaged him yet but I will make sure that I message him now."
Sterling reportedly spoke to Surrey officers on Monday about the break-in at his home. He has twice been targeted by thieves in the past two years. Three men tried to raid his former home in Goostrey, Cheshire, in November 2020. A court was told that the burglars activated an alarm system and fled the property empty handed.
Three men were jailed in 2020 for targeting the homes of Sterling and other celebrities including Jay Kay, the frontman of the British acid jazz group Jamiroquai.
