Footballers speeding: Mario Balotelli, Roberto Firmino and Yaya Toure are just some of the names caught by cops for driving offences
They drive fast cars, so the temptation for putting their foot down is too much for these football stars who have been collared by police for speeding
IF you've got a fast car, you're always going to want to test the brakes, right?
That's probably their excuse. But sometimes footballers are a law unto themselves when it comes to driving their motors.
But, when you drive a Ferrarri, Lamborghini or Porsche the temptation is always going to be there to put your foot down.
So it's no wonder players such as Mario Balotelli, Nathan Redmond and Roberto Firmino have been collared by cops for driving too fast.
In the recent aftermath of Lee Catermole getting a driving ban for accumulating too many points on his license, join SunSport in sharing other offenders.
Amusingly enough, some of these lads aren't best known for their pace on the pitch...
Peter Crouch
We warned you they weren't quick.
But put Crouchy behind a steering wheel and he's quite the serial points collector.
Back in 2012 he was fined £1,000 for several incidents, including when he did 69mph in a 40mph zone.
He had been previously disqualified for six months after getting caught speeding twice in two months.
STILL OUR HEROES Ederson arrives to Man City training in £200,000 Ferrari as fans flock for autographs
Karim Benzema
Looking at the Real Madrid star's car collection, this really isn't a surprise.
Benzema owns a Bugatti Veyron and a Ferrari 458 Spider, among many other flashy, fast motors.
The French forward has been caught breaking nearly every rule going, including driving without a license twice.
But it's his speeding he's most famous for, getting done multiple times.
Most notably in 2013, when he drove his club-issued Audi 134mph, nearly double the speed limit, on a Madrid highway.
Scott Sinclair
Back in 2014, Sinclair was caught speeding in his Ferrari 458 Spider at 2am.
The fact that he was in a blissful countryside setting, somewhere near Bristol, probably made him think he would get away with it.
Wrong!
Off went the speed camera and he was fined £500, a victim surcharge of £50 and court fees of £85.
On top of that, he was banned from driving for 56 days.
Yaya Toure
Talk about being made an example of.
The Man City midfield stroller/player was handed the biggest driving fine ever - £54,000 - for drink driving in 2016.
The devout Muslim, who claimed he doesn't drink and had accidentally consumed alcohol, was banned for 18 months.
A year earlier the sirens rang and pulled him over in his Porsche 911 for doing 101mph on the M6, near Keele services.
Roberto Firmino
The darling of Anfield can do no wrong with Liverpool fans.
But with the authorities, Robbie certainly has some beef.
He was handed a 12-month ban, £20,000 fine at Liverpool Magistrates Court for a string of driving offences.
According to reports, he had moved into the wrong carriageway and was also over the drink-driving limit.
He said in a statement: "I apologise, without reservation, to the club, the manager, my team-mates and the supporters for putting myself in this situation.
“What I have done is wrong and sets a bad example.
"I promise to everyone in the LFC family that I will learn from this mistake, learn from this experience, and not repeat it in the future."
Marouane Fellaini
If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.
That could be a metaphor for the giant Man United midfielder's Old Trafford career.
However, it's also fitting when it comes to Fellaini's skills behind the wheel.
The Belgium star was clocked doing 81mph in a 40mph zone in 2015.
Six minutes later he repeated the trick and was subsequently banned from driving for 12 months.
Frank Lampard
Even bright lads might think they're above the law on an occasion.
The Chelsea legend was fingered by the authorities in 2010 for driving at more than 91mph on the A3 in Surrey.
What made matters worse was he was in a 50mph zone.
He was banned from driving for 90 days, fined £850 and ordered to pay £2,300 costs.
The ban was later reduced to 60 days .
Joe Cole
There must be something about the A3 that just makes footballers go wild.
While he was at Liverpool, Cole was found guilty of speeding on the Esher bypass at Claygate - clocking in at 105mph on a police laser device.
He wasn't pulled over, but a notice of his offence was sent to his home address.
Cole was banned for 50 days and fined £750.
Nicklas Bendtner
The ex-Arsenal forward has always thrown caution to the wind, but here he was caught driving faster than a gale force one.
In 2012 the Dane received a driving ban of 56 days and was slapped with a £660 fine for driving at around 104mph in his Porsche.
He even had the gall to tell Magistrates that he was speeding because he was running late for a flight from Newcastle airport.
Nathan Redmond
Silly, silly boy.
The high-flying Southampton winger got himself in a bit of bother when he was caught doing 30mph over the speed limit in a 40mph zone.
Redmond was officially clocked at driving 71mph in his £80,000 Range Rover and given a £1,000 fine.
However, he escaped with six points in his license and his license wasn't suspended.
Mario Balotelli
A serial speedster, Balotelli racked up no fewer than 18 driving offences, mostly for speeding, between 2012 and 2013.
In 2015, he was banned from driving for 28 days after he was recorded hitting 109mph on the M62.
Then, in 2017 he was caught speeding near the Italian town of Vicenza while racing against his mate's Lamborghini in his Ferrari.
He was said to have been speeding at up to 125mph, but escaped with a fine and five penalty points because he had only been registered doing 105mph.
Sebastien Bassong
The former Spurs defender was collared for hitting the rather heady speed of 110mph in his Maserati in 2016.
Cameroon star Bassong was spied by cops on the A11 near Thetford, Norfolk when his need for speed took control of his senses.
He also had an excuse. Bassong told the court he feared his wife's kidney stone issue had flared up again and was trying to get home as quick as possible.
Lee Cattermole
How his team wished they could convert his driving points to their league form... well, they'd be out the relegation zone!
The Sunderland midfield player had his license taken away from him for six months after his latest speeding conviction took him over 12 points.
It's the second time the feisty footballer has been in trouble with the law.
In 2010, he was caught doing 103mph on the A19 in North Yorkshire.
He was banned from the roads for 56 days, was fined £900 and ordered to pay £425 costs and a £15 victim surcharge by Northallerton magistrates.
MOST READ IN FOOTBALL
Sam McQueen
Not as bad as some of the others, but still a naughty boy.
The Southampton youngster had six points slapped on his license after he was caught doing 56mph in a 30mph zone.
He was spotted on the A336 Southampton Road at Cadnam driving his Land Rover Evoque just a little too fast for comfort.
As well as receiving points, McQueen was handed a £750 fine, ordered to pay £85 costs and a £75 victim surcharge.