Thierno Barry burglary overshadows Everton's cup win over Newcastle

Thierno Barry scored in Everton's 1-3 win over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, but the bigger story came after the final whistle. Barry's partner, Charlene, said their home was burgled during Thursday's Everton vs Newcastle clash, and she posted the confirmation in the early hours of Friday morning.

Charlene's message after the match

Charlene wrote on chroniclelive.co.uk: "Unfortunately, our home was burgled this evening while we were at the football match. Thankfully, nobody was home at the time, but this is still an extremely distressing and violating experience for us and our family. If anyone has seen or heard anything suspicious, or has any information that could help, we would be incredibly grateful if you could get in touch. We are also willing to offer a financial reward for any information that helps identify those responsible. Thank you to everyone for your support."

Barry was Everton's standout performer on the night, earning a 9 rating and directly influencing two of the three goals. He scored once and assisted once. On a footballing level, it was a strong evening for him, but that has been pushed into the background by an incident that will trouble him and his family far more than the result.

A worrying pattern for footballers

Barry's case sits alongside other recent burglaries involving footballers. Morgan Gibbs-White's home was targeted earlier this week. In 2024, Joelinton's home was broken into twice, while Alexander Isak saw cash and his car stolen from his Darras Hall mansion.

The list is uncomfortable, and it is one that clubs have good reason to take seriously. Barry had already played eight Premier League matches this season before the cup tie, and he had three league goals going into the game, but none of that changes the scale of the off-field problem now facing him. Everton's victory put them into the League Cup quarter-finals, and the match itself will be remembered for what happened away from the pitch as much as what Barry did on it.