Raheem Sterling has been charged with dangerous driving and possessing laughing gas after his £270,000 Lamborghini crashed on the M3.
The 31-year-old former Premier League winger faces up to two years in prison if convicted of the offences.
Police arrested the footballer on May 28 following reports of a black luxury 4x4 swerving across the Hampshire motorway shortly before 9am.
Sterling allegedly crashed the sports car into the barriers minutes later.
Nitrous oxide allegation
Dashcam footage appeared to show the vehicle veering across three carriageways while other motorists dodged out of the way.
The driver appeared to be inhaling from a balloon, which is a common method for ingesting nitrous oxide, also known as hippy crack.
Hampshire Police officers handcuffed Sterling at the scene.
The force said he refused to provide a sample following his arrest, leading to a third charge of failing to supply a specimen.
A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesman confirmed the charges in a statement to The Sun.
"Raheem Sterling, 31, from Berkshire, has been charged for the following offences: dangerous driving, possession of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation, failing to provide a specimen," the spokesman said.
"The charges come following a single-vehicle collision, involving a Lamborghini, on the M3 southbound, close to the Minley Interchange, on 28 May, 2026."
Police added that Sterling is scheduled to appear at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on September 15.
Motorway swerving caught on camera
A driving instructor who captured the incident on his dashcam at 8.45am on Thursday described the erratic driving just before Junction 4a.
"I was in the middle lane and without warning a black Lamborghini pulled in front of me, forcing me to slow," the motorist told the Daily Mail.
"I dropped back. I'm a driving instructor after all. The car turned back into the inside lane but the driver put his foot down and veered right across all three lanes and seemed to just avoid hitting the central reservation."
"It's a powerful car and he could have easily gone through the central reservation if he'd hit the accelerator," the witness said.
"A van driver behind him was forced to brake and he then shot off again and turned back across three lanes again into the inside lane."
"The motorist was all over the place but I had no idea it was Raheem Sterling until I saw that he'd been arrested on suspicion of drug-driving by the Minley Interchange," the instructor added.
"I like Raheem but as a driving instructor I'm very concerned," he said. "He could have easily caused himself, and others, a great deal of harm. He was very fortunate that he did not do so."
Career struggles
Representatives for Sterling declined to comment on the crash, but a source close to the player described the severe psychological strain he has faced over the past two years.
"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," the source told the Daily Mail.
"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."
The charges mark a new low for the winger, who is engaged to his long-term girlfriend Paige Milian.
Sterling has been without a club since the summer after a brief stint with Dutch side Feyenoord Rotterdam.
He joined the Eredivisie club in February after leaving Chelsea in January. Sterling had fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge and had not played for them since May 2024.
He made just eight appearances and scored no goals during his time in the Netherlands.
The forward previously endured a troubled spell at Chelsea following his £50 million move from Manchester City in 2022, which included a failed loan spell with Arsenal.
Sterling began his professional career with Queens Park Rangers before breaking through as a teenager at Liverpool.
He moved to Manchester City in 2015, where he enjoyed immense success, winning 10 major trophies including four Premier League titles.
On the international stage, Sterling earned 82 caps for the England senior team.
His most recent appearance for his country came during the 2022 World Cup, where England suffered a 2-1 defeat by France in the quarter-finals.
