When John Terry drove his Range Rover into a Stamford Bridge security guard as he left the ground after the Champions League defeat to Inter Milan on Tuesday, not only did it prompt a torrent of headlines about the Chelsea captain ‘crashing out of Europe’, but it was also the latest in a long line of unfortunate consequences of players getting behind the wheel. Andrey Arshavin has also been involved in a recent road accident, the Russian revealed on his website (something of an internet sensation) this week.
Such incidents, often magnified and misrepresented in the press, do little to diffuse the cliché of the modern Premier League footballer with more money than sense, no concern for anyone but himself and, above all, no respect for The Highway Code.
Disregarding any incidences of people being seriously hurt, Sport.co.uk looks at some of the toughest insurance claims filed by Premier League footballers:
Nicklas Bendtner
The Dane sustained only cuts and bruises in September after deciding to go ‘off-road’ in his Aston Martin, smashing through a fence before a tree brought his journey to an abrupt halt. The £160,000 sports car was completely written off in the accident from which Bendtner was lucky to escape with his life.
David Bentley
Often criticised for being more style over substance, Bentley spent an evening last August drinking with Aussie rockers Jet before attempting to drive his Porsche 911 Turbo back to his Hertfordshire home. Police arrested an inebriated Bentley by the roadside wreck of his £90,000 sports car in the early hours. In light of previous bans for three-figure speeding offences the Spurs winger was subsequently banned from driving for a year.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese winger crashed his Ferrari into a barrier going through a tunnel near Manchester airport. Miraculously the Portuguese winger walked away from the wreck without injury (feigned or otherwise), while the write-off of the £200,000 vehicle is unlikely to have put too much of a dent in the star’s income.
Jermaine Pennant
Then a promising Arsenal youngster, Pennant wrapped team-mate Ashley Cole’s Mercedes-Benz around a lamp-post in Aylesbury in 2005. Charged with driving while banned, without insurance and over the alcohol limit to boot, Pennant was given a three-month jail sentence. Released after a month on the condition that he wear an electronic tag at all times, Pennant returned to Birmingham (where he was on loan at the time) to be subjected to a torrent of abuse from opposition fans everywhere he went.
Joe Cole
The diminutive midfielder has never let his small stature affect his confidence on the pitch. Unfortunately size matters on the roads, and when the Chelsea star’s £50,000 Range Rover was involved in a collision with a lorry on the A3 near Wandsworth in 2008, it was the 4x4 that came off worst. Cole hurt his arm in the accident but still managed to attend training that day.
Titus Bramble
The Wigan defender has had a reputation for being accident-prone throughout his career, but during his Newcastle days Bramble took the show on the road. In 2006 he ploughed his BMW into a wall in Newton Flotman, much to the surprise of the residents of the sleepy Norfolk village. Luckily Bramble, along with five passengers, was unharmed in the accident.
Freddie Ljungberg
A speed demon on the pitch, the Swede was equally rapid on the road, boasting a series of BMW models throughout his career. During his Arsenal days Ljungberg’s then £50,000 beamer was involved in a three car pile-up in 2003.
Djibril Cisse
The ex-Liverpool centre-forward was on his way to training at Melwood when his Dodge 4x4 collided with a police car en route to an emergency. The Frenchman was lucky to only bruise his ribs in the impact, although that did mean he still had to make training.
Tony Adams
After a long battle with alcoholism, the Arsenal captain careered his Ford Sierra into a wall near his home in Southend-on-Sea. On breathalysing the Arsenal captain police found him to be four times over the legal limit and Adams was imprisoned for four months. George Graham and subsequent managers stuck by him and despite his problems Adams managed to see out a successful playing career.
Gary Charles
The undisputed champion of drink-driving offences, Charles passed out at the wheel of his Mercedes sports car in a pub car park following a rampage on four wheels through the town of Long Eaton in Derbyshire. He was later suspected of drink-driving again after he was seen fleeing the scene of an accident in Essex. His most alarming escapade however involved a hire car which police found abandoned on a slip road, with keys in the ignition, music blaring out of the sound system and, bizarrely, faeces smeared on the back seat. Charles has served two prison sentences in his time, while his autobiography (still to be released) should be a cracking read.