Raheem Sterling Pleads Guilty to Dangerous Driving Charges

Raheem Sterling has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving after crashing a Lamborghini on a series of major roads in southern England.

The 31-year-old appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and admitted driving a Lamborghini Urus dangerously on 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 arrived at the Hampshire court dressed in a black suit jacket, black trousers, black shoes and a dark top, cutting a very different figure from the one that once lit up major tournaments for England.

Police from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said the charges stemmed from a single-vehicle collision on the M3 southbound near the Minley interchange on 28 May. No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported.

The case marks a stark off-field moment in the career of a player who, at his peak, stood at the heart of Gareth Southgate’s England.

Sterling scored 20 goals in 82 appearances for his country, playing a key role in the run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and then the final of Euro 2020, where his driving runs and goals became central to England’s identity.

His journey began in the academy at QPR before a move to Liverpool, where he made his senior debut and quickly emerged as one of the Premier League’s brightest young forwards.

In 2015 he joined Manchester City and became a serial winner: four Premier League titles, five League Cups and the 2019 FA Cup, forming part of Pep Guardiola’s relentless attacking machine.

Sterling left City for Chelsea in 2022, but his influence waned. After falling out of favour at Stamford Bridge, he spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Arsenal, a short spell that did not fully revive his status at the very top level.

He then joined Feyenoord on a short-term deal until the end of last season. He is currently without a club.

Away from the pitch, Sterling has been one of English football’s most prominent voices against racism. In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was made an MBE for services to racial equality in sport after fronting anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns and speaking out forcefully about abuse and inequality.

Now, as he waits for the consequences of his guilty pleas, a player once defined by his speed and clarity on the field faces a very different kind of scrutiny off it.