Former England forward Raheem Sterling has been arrested on suspicion of drug driving after his £270,000 Lamborghini Urus V8 crashed into a barrier on the M3, with a motorist saying he sounded his horn repeatedly to try to warn Sterling he was swerving across the motorway.
The 31-year-old, who last played for England in December 2022, zig-zagged between lanes on the M3 near Minley in Hampshire on Thursday morning. He was pulled over by police at 9am and bailed pending enquiries on suspicion of driving a vehicle whilst unfit through drugs, driving dangerously, possession of a Class C drug and failing to provide a specimen.
A witness said the collision caused the wheels of Sterling's Lamborghini to leap four feet into the air, and claimed Sterling had also driven on the wrong side of the slip road at one point, towards oncoming traffic.
Witness account
The witness, a van driver who did not want to be named, told The Sun: "Just after I got on the M3 westbound I saw a Lamborghini swerving. He nearly crashed into the left-hand barrier. He was drifting left into the hard shoulder and almost crashed. I thought there was something up with this guy."
He said Sterling's Lamborghini had nearly hit the side of his vehicle, prompting him to "beep him." He described Sterling, whom he could make out as a "young guy with a vest on," as not appearing to hear the warning.
The swerving reportedly got "much worse," with four or five cars having to pull over to get out of his way. The driver added: "I was still looking in my mirrors because it was inevitable he was going to crash." He said the car then veered into a barrier, sending the tyres flying into the air and the vehicle spinning about 180 degrees.
Police statement
Hampshire Police said: "Just before 9am on Thursday, we received reports that a Lamborghini was in collision with barriers on the M3 southbound, close to the Minley Interchange. No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported. The driver, a 31-year-old man, from Berkshire, has been arrested on suspicion of driving a vehicle whilst unfit through drugs, driving dangerously, possession of a Class C drug and failing to provide a specimen. He has been bailed while our enquiries continue."
Career decline
A source close to Sterling told Daily Mail Sport on Friday night: "The psychological strain that has been put on him is immeasurable. Isolated. The second he touches a ball, being told he's a flop and he's finished. Mocked. Heckled. He moved to the Netherlands to escape and rediscover his love for the game but the negativity followed. It's been an extremely tough couple of years for him and this incident encompasses that." Sterling's representatives declined to comment.
Sterling's career has struggled since he left Manchester City for Chelsea in the summer of 2022. Having won 10 major trophies at City, including four Premier League titles and the FA Cup, he joined Chelsea for £50million on a five-year deal worth £325,000-per-week.
He was later exiled to former manager Enzo Maresca's so-called "bomb squad" and trained away from the first team for over six months. A loan spell with Arsenal in the 2024-25 season did not work out, and his Chelsea contract was terminated a few months ago. He signed for Feyenoord in February and played eight times for the Dutch club without scoring, with his contract now expiring.
Sterling broke through as a teenager at Liverpool before joining Manchester City in 2015. He played 82 times for England, with his last appearance coming in the 2-1 defeat by France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.