A motorist 'sounded his horn repeatedly' in a desperate attempt to warn former England footballer Raheem Sterling as he swerved across a motorway before his £270,000 Lamborghini crashed into a barrier. The 31-year-old, who last played for his country in December 2022, was seen zig-zagging between lanes on the M3 near Minley, Hampshire, on Thursday morning.
Police pulled him over at 9am and later bailed him 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 has now described how the collision sent the wheels of Sterling's Lamborghini Urus V8 leaping 4ft into the air.
Witness Account
The witness, a van driver who wished to remain anonymous, 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.' The driver added that Sterling's car nearly hit the side of his vehicle, prompting him to 'beep him'.
Sterling, described as a 'young guy with a vest on', appeared not to hear the warning. The swerving then reportedly worsened, with 'four or five cars having to pull over to get out of his way'. The lorry driver stated: 'I was still looking in my mirrors because it was inevitable he was going to crash.' The car then veered into a barrier, sending tyres airborne 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.'
Sterling's Recent Struggles
A source close to Sterling described the psychological strain he has endured over the past two years, saying: '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. His career has nosedived since he left Manchester City for Chelsea in summer 2022. Having won 10 major trophies at City, including four Premier League titles and the FA Cup, Chelsea signed him for £50 million on a five-year deal worth £325,000 per week. However, he endured a torrid spell at Stamford Bridge, being exiled to former manager Enzo Maresca's 'bomb squad' and forced to train away from the first team for over six months.
A failed loan spell at Arsenal in the 2024-25 season followed, and his Chelsea deal was terminated months ago. He signed for Feyenoord in February, playing eight times without scoring before his contract expired. Sterling broke through at Liverpool as a teenager before moving to City in 2015. He earned 82 caps for England, with his last appearance in the 2-1 defeat by France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.
