Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes recently became the latest high-profile footballer to have his home targeted by burglars.

The Portuguese midfielder’s Cheshire property was broken into while he was in Italy with United for their Champions League fixture against Como.

His family were not believed to be inside the house when the intruders entered, with police responding after receiving reports of suspicious activity nearby.

Cheshire Police confirmed that several items had been stolen and launched an investigation into the incident.

United have offered support to their captain and his family following the break-in.

The incident came amid wider concerns about footballers’ homes being targeted while they are away representing their clubs.

Now, another theft has caused distress within the Manchester United community, this time at a memorial dedicated to one of the darkest chapters in the club’s history.

Sacred Manchester United site robbed

As reported by the BBC, a glass sculpture and several medals have been stolen from the Munich air disaster memorial at Manchesterplatz in Germany, which honours the 23 people who lost their lives in the 1958 tragedy, including eight United players.

The display case was reportedly broken into using a stone, with Munich Police believing the incident took place between 08:00 and 13:00 on Monday this week.

The damage was discovered by the mother of Mark Salzmann, chairman of Red Docs Munich, a Bayern Munich supporters’ group involved in maintaining the site.

She noticed something was wrong while driving past and stopped to investigate.

Among the missing items was a glass sculpture originally presented to Munich’s former mayor, Dieter Reiter.

Several commemorative medals were also taken.

Salzmann explained that his group regularly collects tributes left by supporters visiting the memorial and places selected items inside the display case.

The stolen objects were unique and would be difficult to replace, although discussions about possible replacements have already begun with the foundation.

The memorial stands at the site of the crash on 6 February 1958, when a British European Airways aircraft carrying Manchester United’s players, staff and journalists attempted to take off after stopping in Munich to refuel.

The team had been returning from Belgrade, where they had played Red Star Belgrade in the European Cup quarter-finals.

The aircraft failed to take off successfully, crashing through a perimeter fence and into buildings beyond the runway.

A total of 23 people died, including eight United players, Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Liam Whelan and Duncan Edwards, who died from his injuries 15 days later.

Manager Matt Busby survived, as did several players, including Bobby Charlton and Harry Gregg.

The tragedy profoundly affected United and shaped the club’s history for generations.

The memorial at Manchesterplatz has become a place of remembrance for families, supporters and visitors from around the world.

The Manchester Munich Memorial Foundation confirmed that it was deeply saddened by the theft and said Manchester United had offered to cover the cost of repairing the damaged display.

However, the foundation had already agreed to take responsibility for the expenses.

Red Docs Munich helped respond to the incident, and the broken glass was replaced on the same day.

Although the stolen tributes may be difficult to recover or replace, the foundation stressed that the memories and legacy of those who died would remain.