From Dailymail · · 4m
Raheem Sterling's fall from grace
A £325,000-a-week England star ended up alone in a Lamborghini with laughing gas balloons, and his friends say he is completely lost.
In brief
A £325,000-a-week England star ended up alone in a Lamborghini with laughing gas balloons, and his friends say he is completely lost. Sterling's collapse was not about money. It was about a career decision he cannot undo, and a public that enjoyed watching him fail. Originally reported by Dailymail.
A bleak walk to the dock
Sterling walked through Basingstoke Magistrates' Court with a look of resignation, about to admit 90 minutes of dangerous driving while in possession of nitrous oxide.
“It was the cold, bleak solemnity of a 31-year-old who... has truly reached rock bottom.”
Motionless in the passenger seat
Police body-camera video played to the magistrate showed him sitting still in a T-shirt and shorts as officers approached his sports car on a bright May morning.
A problem with nitrous oxide
He told police he had a problem with the gas. Evidence suggests he had been inhaling it seven hours before drivers saw him sucking on balloons at the wheel.
“I have a problem with nitrous oxide”
Exhausted at the station
By the time he reached Basingstoke police station he was disorientated, cold and could barely keep his eyes open, worn out by what looked like a solitary all-nighter.
Oblivion mode
For days he refused to answer the people who had kept him going, turning his face to the wall and wanting no reminder of football at all.
“He went into oblivion mode”
Zig-zagging across three lanes
In a black Lamborghini Urus he crossed all three lanes in rush hour, forcing other motorists out of his way. No one was hurt, which was close to a miracle.
Not a wild night out
The worst of the driving happened on a Thursday morning in daylight, four weeks after his attempt to restart his career at Feyenoord had collapsed.
He turned down the security
Feyenoord offered three years. He took only 12 months because he feared being stranded without game time again, the way he had been at Chelsea.
“Everyone who knows him knows that he needs to feel part of a club”
Thirty minutes went global
He had not played in nine months. A poor half-hour off the bench in February became a European-wide sensation, and the scrutiny followed him to Rotterdam.
“He thought he could escape the scrutiny over there and start again. There was no escape.”
An all-time low
He came back from Holland feeling worthless, having gone from one of England's best players to a reject in four years. One source put it in two words.
“He is lost. Completely lost.”
The balaclava post
Days before the court date he posted an Instagram photo in a dark balaclava. One of the most-liked replies read: 'You're too old for this.'
“You're too old for this”
Where the mockery started
The public glee traces back to agent Aidy Ward, who ran ugly contract talks at Liverpool, said he didn't care about the club and insulted Jamie Carragher on the record.
A teenager wearing the blame
Ward claimed Sterling wouldn't stay at Anfield even for nearly £1million a week. The label stuck, and the Euro 2016 exit to Iceland brought the heaviest abuse of all.
The version people forgot
He dropped Ward and grew up at Manchester City, speaking out on racist abuse in Montenegro in 2019 and against football restarting before it was safe in 2021.
“The England football star who took on the racists”
The decision that haunts him
Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain told him plainly his minutes would be limited in what became City's Treble season. He left anyway.
Boehly's £325,000 pitch
Chelsea's new owner was giddy about signing him and sold a long-term vision. Thomas Tuchel, a long-time admirer, was part of the draw.
Praised, then erased
Chelsea's website called him a positive influence who set standards, then deleted every mention. Maresca talked up his importance, then put him in the bomb squad.
Training alone at 8pm
Life among Chelsea's unwanted players meant solo sessions late at night. By the time he escaped to Arsenal on loan, the power, pace and confidence were gone.
It was never the money
He rejected the Saudi move Chelsea engineered to force him out in 2024. People close to him say he would play for a fraction of his old wages to get his game back.
“It's the feeling that he made such a huge mistake”
He is not the only one
Dele Alli and Kalvin Phillips faded by 30, and Aaron Ramsdale is the latest. Friends say Sterling now has to work out whether he loves the game enough to stay in it.
“He needs to get a foundation and get settled”
The essence
Sterling's collapse was not about money. It was about a career decision he cannot undo, and a public that enjoyed watching him fail.
