Raheem Sterling Charged with Dangerous Driving and Nitrous Oxide Possession

Raheem Sterling has been charged with dangerous driving and possession of nitrous oxide after a motorway crash involving a Lamborghini, Hampshire and Isle of Wight constabulary has confirmed.

Police said the charges stem from a single-vehicle collision on the southbound M3 near the Minley interchange on 28 May. No other cars were involved and no injuries were reported.

Sterling, 31, is accused of dangerous driving, possession of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation and failing to provide a specimen. The former England forward, who is from Berkshire, is scheduled to appear at Basingstoke magistrates court on 15 September.

It marks a stark off-field twist for a player who, at his peak, was central to England’s modern revival.

Sterling scored 20 goals in 82 appearances for his country, a key figure as Gareth Southgate’s side reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and the Euro 2020 final.

His club career has traced some of English football’s biggest stages. Raised in the academy at QPR, he broke through at Liverpool before a high-profile move to Manchester City in 2015. At City he became a serial winner, collecting four Premier League titles, five League Cups and the FA Cup.

The trajectory has been more turbulent in recent years. Sterling left for Chelsea in 2022 but, after slipping down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, he spent the 2024–25 season on loan at Arsenal. A short-term deal with Feyenoord followed until the end of last season. He is currently without a club.

Off the pitch, Sterling’s profile has extended well beyond goals and medals.

In the 2021 Queen’s birthday honours he was awarded an MBE for services to racial equality in sport, recognised for fronting anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns and for speaking forcefully against racism inside stadiums and in wider society.

Now, instead of preparing for a new season, he faces a court date and serious questions about what comes next for both his career and his reputation.