Raheem Sterling Admits Dangerous Driving After Lamborghini Crash
Raheem Sterling, one of the defining England internationals of the past decade, has admitted dangerous driving after crashing a Lamborghini on a stretch of motorway in the south of England.
The 31-year-old appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to driving a Lamborghini Urus dangerously on multiple roads – the M25, the M3, the A327 and Minley Road – before a collision on 28 May.
He also admitted possessing six nitrous oxide cannisters for wrongful inhalation, a class C drug, and failing to provide a specimen when required.
Sterling, dressed in a black suit jacket, black trousers, black shoes and a dark top, listened as the charges were read out in the Hampshire courtroom.
Police had previously confirmed that the case stemmed from a single-vehicle crash on the M3 southbound near the Minley interchange on 28 May. No other cars were involved and no injuries were reported, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said.
It is a stark chapter in the story of a player who became a central figure for club and country.
Sterling scored 20 goals in 82 appearances for England, a key part of Gareth Southgate’s side that reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and the final of Euro 2020. At his peak in an England shirt, he carried attacking responsibility and delivered on the biggest stages.
His rise began at QPR’s academy before a move to Liverpool, where he broke into senior football and announced himself as one of the Premier League’s brightest young forwards. In 2015 he joined Manchester City and entered the most decorated spell of his career, winning four Premier League titles, five League Cups and the 2019 FA Cup.
The medals did not stop the momentum from shifting. Sterling left City for Chelsea in 2022 but struggled to hold down a regular place. He spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Arsenal, another sign of a career in transition, then moved to Dutch club Feyenoord on a short-term deal until the end of last season.
He is currently without a club.
Away from the pitch, Sterling built a reputation as one of English football’s most powerful voices against racism. In the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours he was made an MBE for services to racial equality in sport, recognition for years spent fronting anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns and speaking out forcefully about abuse in stadiums and online.
Now, instead of shaping games or leading campaigns, he finds himself facing the consequences of a night that ended on the hard shoulder of the M3 – and a future in the game that looks more uncertain than at any point since he first broke through at Liverpool.
