10 footballers who were involved in car accidents

Footballers and fast cars go hand in hand. It has somewhat become a trend for them that see them purchase the most expensive cars after gaining success as a professional player. And with the weekly wages that clubs provide them with, who can blame them? But, not everyone is smooth when it comes to taking charge of the wheels.With them protected under the club’s insurance, you would think they would want to be more protected of their health. From Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to the ever controversial Mario Balotelli, take a look at these ten footballers who ended up crashing their cars:

#1 Jermaine Pennant

Jermaine Pennant was a Liverpool player (which was frankly the best time of his playing career) when he was jailed for three months after he crashed his top of the range Mercedes into a lamppost while more than twice the legal limit, then drove off with the post dragging underneath the car.

Pennant, then 22, was arrested from the parking area of a leisure complex and the officers had reported that he was driving under the influence of alcohol. He even tried to hide his identity and introduced himself as Ashley Cole – his England teammate and former Chelsea defender.

Since then, the winger, who was tipped to be one of the nation’s finest footballers, saw his career go downhill from that point.

#2 Diego Maradona

One of the greatest players of the beautiful game, Diego Maradona always had two sides to his character. One, which is arguably the most talented footballer, the other being a controversial figure. Maradona didn’t manage to keep himself away from media’s focus with all the after night parties, drugs and fights in his career.

The Argentine also made headlines with a car crash in Cuba when he tried to play around with the oncoming traffic, hitting a tourist bus in the process. Diego was driving after consuming drugs and he was taken to a hotel to receive treatment.

Thankfully, no one was hurt.

#3 Karim Benzema

Back in 2009, Real Madrid were overshadowed by their rivals Barcelona which prompted Madrid officials to bring in some star players into the team. And among one of those big signings was France striker Karim Benzema.

But Benzema’s outing in the first El Clasico wasn’t that eventful and, after a 1-0 defeat against the Catalan side, the forward met with an accident in the suburbs of the Spanish capital even though he was driving under 30 mph.

The airbags were activated and thankfully he wasn’t seriously injured. The loss must have really bothered the Frenchman.

#4 Nicklas Bendtner

Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner was involved in an accident back in 2009 when he was driving towards the training ground in his Aston Martin. The impact was hard and it was said that he was lucky to have escaped with only cuts to his knee and pain in his shoulder.

Bendtner’s father, Thomas Bendtner stated the following after his son’s accident:

“He trained by himself on Monday on a bike in order to be careful and watch out. He is badly shaken and has some bruises but knows he was very lucky.”

As he was unable to complete training, manager Arsene Wenger had to drop him from the starting XI in a Champions League game against Olympiakos.

#5 Anderson

Back in the day, Anderson was tipped to be one of the most promising midfielders and Manchester United had signed him on. However, things just didn’t work out well between the Red Devils and the Brazilian midfielder.

And in an incident in 2010, Anderson was involved in a major car crash in Portugal that left him unconscious. It was reported that he had to be dragged out of his £120,000 Audi R8 which exploded after a night out at the Sardinha Biba nightclub.

He spent several hours in a hospital after the accident and later stated that he owed his life being pulled “lifeless” from the vehicle shortly before it exploded.

A witness of the crash said: “I saw a cloud of smoke ahead of me. The car was unable to straighten up after a slight bend and went into the field and caught fire. I thought he was dead. My brother dragged him out.”

#6 Cesc Fabregas

Another Premier League player involved in a crash incident was Chelsea’s star midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The former Arsenal and Barcelona man had a great start to his Blues career and even won the Premier League title on his return to England.

But during his days as a Gunner, life wasn’t so smooth for the Spain international. He was already suffering from hamstring problems and more bad luck followed after he drove his Mercedes SL55 AMG into the back of an Audi A3.

The incident occurred on the A41 in north London on the way to training. He later tweeted: “I'm absolutely fine, nothing to worry.”

Hi, u have probably heard that i had a car accident this morning. I'm absolutely fine, nothing to worry about. THese things happen.

— Cesc Fàbregas Soler (@cesc4official) April 4, 2011

#7 David Bentley

Former Tottenham Hotspur star David Bentley was charged with drink driving after crashing his £98,000 Porsche 911 Turbo at 3 AM in East London.

The then-24-year-old winger was arrested in the early hours of the morning.

Bentley reportedly spent the evening drinking beer with Australian rock band Jet after their gig.

#8 Wayne Rooney

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney hasn’t been involved in one, but three car crashes up until now. The England forward damaged his £170,000 Aston Martin, a £65,000 Range Rover, and also saw his £40,000 Escalade damaged by a lorry.

Also, at a restaurant in Manchester, Rooney lost control while trying to park his Lamborghini Gallardo but ended up facing oncoming traffic on the A6 in Macclesfield.

After multiple incidents, one must wonder which company will provide Rooney with car insurance. Plus, he clearly needs a crash course in driving.

#9 Mario Balotelli

Back in 2010, Italian forward Mario Balotelli decided to join Manchester City from Inter Milan – a move that saw his reputation gain notoriety in England. The striker has always captured the footballing headlines with his antics off the pitch and controversy always seems to knock on his door.

If we all remember the ‘Why Always Me?’ message under his shirt which he displayed during one of his bizarre celebrations, we can be sure of the fact that Balotelli must have been asking the same question when he crashed his customised £120,000 Audi R8 into a BMW in Manchester.

Both drivers were fortunate enough to escape any major injuries. But Balotelli’s car suffered some damage, especially the front end.

However, this wasn’t the only incident involving Balotelli. In 2013, another accident happened in Brescia, Italy where he rear-ended the car in front of him in heavy traffic.

#10 Cristiano Ronaldo

Ballon d’Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo has been breaking records since his high-profile move from Manchester United to Real Madrid. The Portuguese forward has been acclaimed as one of the best players of the game and has been dazzling everyone with his performances. He is known for his hard work and aim to be a perfectionist.

But back in his Manchester United days, the 29-year-old wasn’t quite perfect when it came to handling the wheel of his Ferrari 599 GTB on his way to the United training ground in 2009.

He was driving inside a tunnel near Manchester Airport when the crash suddenly occurred after he lost control at 205 mph. The car had collided with one wall and then another barrier in the tunnel. One of the front tyres actually came off the car and rolled to a stop 200 yards away.

Police arrived at the scene and goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar, who was driving behind him, took him to the training ground.

“I got there just after the accident had happened and saw the state of the car,” a witness said. “It is amazing he got out of it without a scratch.”