Raheem Sterling pleads guilty to dangerous driving after M3 Lamborghini crash

Raheem Sterling pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, admitting he drove a Lamborghini Urus recklessly across the M25, the M3, the A327 and Minley Road before crashing on 28 May. The 31-year-old also admitted possession of six nitrous oxide canisters for wrongful inhalation — a class C drug — and failing to provide a specimen.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary confirmed the charges stemmed from a single-vehicle collision on the M3 southbound near Minley interchange. No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported.

Sterling, who is from Berkshire, arrived at court dressed in black trousers, black shoes and a dark top. Following his initial arrest, a representative said the former England winger had been made to feel “worthless” and “forgotten about” in recent years.

The case brings an off-field cloud over a career that has been winding down at club level. Sterling spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Arsenal after falling out of favour at Chelsea, and in February joined Eredivisie side Feyenoord on a short-term deal, making eight appearances in the Dutch top flight.

At international level, Sterling scored 20 goals in 82 appearances for England, playing a prominent role in Gareth Southgate’s side reaching the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and the final of Euro 2020. He came through the QPR academy before joining Liverpool, then moved to Manchester City in 2015, where he won four Premier League titles, five League Cups and the FA Cup in 2019.

In the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours list, Sterling was appointed MBE for services to racial equality in sport, recognised in particular for his public stance during the controversy over England fans booing players taking the knee.

Sentencing details were not immediately available as proceedings are ongoing.