England star Steven Gerrard has hired a crack team of former SAS soldiers to protect his family after a terrifying raid.
The 27-year-old Liverpool captain took drastic action after his wife Alex Curran was threatened at their £4.5million home while he was playing in France.
The security men, whose regimental motto was Who Dares Wins, are now guarding Gerrard's home around the clock.
A friend told The Daily Mirror: "Stevie just felt that something had to be done to protect his wife, himself and his children. The safety of the ones he loves was the priority. These guys will now be there for him 24 hours a day. The family can sleep soundly." Alex confronted four masked men after hearing noises downstairs at their mansion in Formby, Merseyside, last month.
As daughters Lilly-Ella, three, and one-year-old Lexie slept, Mirror columnist Alex came face-to-face with the gang. They threatened her with violence before escaping with a large haul of jewellery.
Gerrard was told of the robbery at the end of a Champions League game against Marseille.
Alex, 25, was still in a state of shock when her husband arrived back home in the early hours.
The player was clearly upset the next day when he talked about his wife's ordeal. He said he was just relieved that no one was hurt but friends said he was angry his home had been raided while he was away.
A friend said: "Steve was livid. It was the work of cowards, hitting a property where they must have known there was only his wife and children there.
"Stevie was just the latest of several Liverpool players whose homes had been raided while they were playing away.
"The club started to look at ways to provide cover for the players' houses whenever they were away.
"But Stevie realised he needed something a bit extra and that's how he came to get involved with these specialist guys."
