Ronny Rosenthal, Israeli former Liverpool and Spurs footballer, was attacked by gang of armed robbers who broke into his home in North West London in the middle of the night, it has been revealed.

Details of the robbery only surfaced this week, with reports that six masked men carrying machetes broke into the ex-striker’s house in Cricklewood at around 1am on May 11, while his family was sleeping.

Neighbours of Mr Rosenthal told the Evening Standard that the gang had raided the house in order to try and steal designer watches.

The footballer, who won sixty caps for Israel and played for club teams including Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Watford during his 20-year career, reportedly told one neighbour that he and his family “were physically abused and threatened with machetes”, the Standard reported, adding “the raiders were in and out in five minutes.”

Another neighbour told the paper that Mr Rosenthal had been “punched in the face”.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed that officers were investigating “an aggravated burglary in Cricklewood that took place on May 11.

“Officers were called to a residential property at 1:14am to a report of multiple armed intruders forcing their way inside.

“'Various items were stolen before the suspects left the scene. No arrests. Enquiries continue.”

Last week, Arsenal footballers Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac, were attacked outside the latter’s house in Hampstead, with knife-wielding thieves on mopeds attempting to steal the player’s watches.

The footballers managed to drive off, but were pursued by the moped gang, who tried to break the car windows with stones and bricks.

The chase ended on Golders Green Road when the footballers abandoned their vehicle and sought shelter in Likya, a Turkish restaurant frequented by the pair. The gang left the area minutes before the police showed up.

Last year, comedian Michael Macintyre was targeted in Golders Green by two men on a moped while he was waiting to pick up his son from school.

The robbers smashed Mr Macintyre’s car windows with a hammer, before taking his watch and fleeing the scene.