Raheem Sterling Admits to Dangerous Driving and Possession of Nitrous Oxide
Raheem Sterling has admitted to dangerous driving after crashing a Lamborghini on a stretch of English motorway earlier this year.
The former England forward appeared at Basingstoke magistrates court on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to driving a Lamborghini Urus dangerously on the M25, the M3 and the A327 before a crash on 28 May.
The 31-year-old also admitted possessing six nitrous oxide canisters for wrongful inhalation – a class C drug – and failing to provide a specimen when required.
Sterling attended the Hampshire court smartly dressed in a black suit jacket, black trousers, black shoes and a dark top, cutting a very different figure from the one that lit up major tournaments for his country.
Police had previously confirmed the charges stemmed from a single-vehicle collision 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 marks a stark off-field chapter for a player who, at his peak, was one of England’s most influential attacking talents. Sterling scored 20 goals in 82 appearances for the national team, a central figure in Gareth Southgate’s run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and the final of Euro 2020.
Club Journey
His club journey began at QPR’s academy before a move to Liverpool, where he broke into senior football. In 2015 he joined Manchester City and became a key part of a dominant era, winning four Premier League titles, five League Cups and the FA Cup in 2019.
Sterling left City for Chelsea in 2022 but gradually slipped down the pecking order. He spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Arsenal, then departed Stamford Bridge earlier this year. A short-term deal with Feyenoord followed, taking him to the Netherlands until the end of the season.
He is currently without a club, his future on the pitch uncertain while his case moves through the courts.
Off the Field
Away from football, Sterling has long been a prominent voice against racism. In the 2021 Queen’s birthday honours he was awarded an MBE for services to racial equality in sport, recognition for his role in fronting anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns and for speaking out forcefully on abuse inside and outside stadiums.
Now, one of the most decorated English forwards of his generation faces a very different kind of scrutiny, with his next move likely to be decided off the field before any club decides to place its trust in him again.
