Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina's London mansion burgled while he played for Colombia

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Burglars raided David Ospina's mansion while he was on international duty
The gang broke into home while his wife and young children slept upstairs
Took his £100,000 Mercedes on a joyride before dumping car in Wembley
Night-time raid on £16million property is latest in the north London suburb

Published: 04:39 EST, 22 October 2015 | Updated: 08:43 EST, 22 October 2015

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Burglars raided Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina's £16million home while his wife and young children slept upstairs before taking his £100,000 Mercedes on a joyride.

The gang stole the £40,000-a-week footballer's car keys from his house in an exclusive north London suburb before speeding off in the top-of-the-range white Mercedes AMG while he was away on international duty.

The audacious night-time raid, which took place while his supermodel wife Jesica Sterling and their two children – aged eight months and five - were asleep upstairs, is the latest in a string of luxury car thefts to hit the well-heeled area.

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Burglars raided Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina's £16million home in north London while his wife Jesica Sterling (pictured together) and young children were asleep upstairs. Ospina was away on international duty

The raid at Ospina's £16million eight-bedroom neo-Georgian house (pictured), which boasts a swimming pool, sauna room, Jacuzzi and cinema, in north London occurred sometime overnight on October 9 and October 10

The cunning gang struck earlier this month after South American ace Ospina, 27, had jetted out of the UK to join up with his Colombian team-mates.

He had just finished playing a World Cup qualifier in his home nation against Peru when he learned of the raid at his eight-bedroom neo-Georgian house, which boasts a swimming pool, sauna room, Jacuzzi and cinema.

Speaking today, Ospina said his wife and two children - Dulce María and son Maximiliano - were 'fine' following the raid, but said he remains in the dark as to how and why he was targeted.

Returning to his home following a training session this afternoon, he used an aide to interpret and said: 'I can't speak about it because the problem is still there and even though the police have the car they can't give all the information.

'We do not know what happened, this happened in the night time and the car was taken away.'

Asked how he felt being thousands of miles from his family when he received the call, he said: 'Everything is fine now, the case is with the police and I'm leaving all matters to them.'

The footballer arrived back at his nine bedroom home in a grey Land Rover Discovery with tinted windows at around 1.20pm today. He was carrying an Arsenal shirt, a jacket and paperwork.

Alongside the 4x4, a maroon Range Rover was parked on the carriage driveway.

Ospina's wife Jesica also spoke of her shock today, revealing how she woke up in the night to find a kitchen window open, a tap running and the car key's missing.

It is believed those responsible may have sneaked into the garden through a side door before climbing into the house through the open window.

She told the Evening Standard: 'We think that everything was planned because they came to the house through the window and took about 10 minutes maximum and left with the keys.

'It was strange they didn't look for anything else – just took the keys and went.'

The suspects are believed to have crept into the neo-Georgian property through a kitchen window while Ospina's wife Jesica (pictured) and their two children – aged eight months and five - were asleep upstairs

The cunning gang struck earlier this month after South American-born footballer David Ospina, 27, had jetted out of the UK to join up with his Colombian team-mates. He is pictured playing for Arsenal in February this year

Ospina was away on international duty at the time of the raid, playing in goal for his home nation Columbia in their 2-0 win over Peru in the World Cup qualifier at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay (pictured)

Officers are now reviewing CCTV footage from the mansion, which apparently captured the two suspects speeding away in Ospina's £100,000 Mercedes.

Police said the stolen car was eventually tracked down and found dumped in Wembley Park, although officers are still investigating who was behind the incident.

Ospina moved into the property of fellow Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny when the Pole left the Premier League giants to go out on loan to Italian club Roma.

The Colombian, who moved to the Emirates from French outfit Nice last year, lives in a leafy, upmarket street where homes can cost up to £35million.

A number of Premier League stars live in the area, which has been hit by a spate of Range Rover thefts, including Opsina's teammate Olivier Giroud.

Last month, fellow Premiership footballer David Conway found his Range Rover stolen outside his drive, with police telling him about 30 Range Rovers had been stolen in that week alone.

Unlike the theft from Ospina's house, the criminals didn't need to break into the car or Mr Conway's house.

Instead, CCTV showed a thief managing to unlock the vehicle electronically and make a getaway in less than 30 seconds.

The local residents' association met with local police officers and a private security firm last week to discuss a feared spike in crime.

The meeting saw police raise the issue of 'car hacking' in which crooks use special devices to bypass electronic locking systems.

Colombian-born Ospina, who moved to the Emirates from French outfit Nice last year, lives in a leafy, upmarket north London street with his wife Jesica (pictured above), where homes can cost up to £35million

Ospina had just finished playing a World Cup qualifier for his home nation against Peru (pictured above during the match earlier this month) when he learned of the raid at his £16m eight-bedroom neo-Georgian mansion

They suggested residents invest in old-fashioned car wheel locks, describing them as 'brilliant' in deterring thieves.

The residents' association also suggested people could get involved in more neighbourhood watch schemes, of which there are already about 20 in the suburb, to help deter burglars and muggers.

Residents are also increasingly turning to private security contractors like LCS Security, who employ Ghurka ex-soldiers to patrol streets to keep them safe.

Figures show car thefts in London climbed by 8 per cent last year to a total of 21,869, with luxury cars a favourite target.

The Met Police confirmed officers are still hunting those responsible for the raid on Ospina's property, and said no arrests have yet been made.

A spokesman said: 'The offence took place between 11pm on Friday October 9 and 8am on Saturday October 10.

'Keys to a car were stolen and the vehicle subsequently taken. The car was later recovered in the Wembley Park area. No arrests have been made at this time and enquiries continue.'