Soccer
Former Man Utd and Barcelona star sentenced for Rolls-Royce drink driving
The Dutchman was caught drink driving in Monaco and hit with a suspended jail sentence, along with a hefty fine.
A court in Monaco has sentenced Memphis Depay after the former Manchester United and Barcelona forward was caught drink driving last August.
The 30-year-old recently joined Brazilian club Corinthians last summer so was not in court in person to hear the sentencing. He has received a four-month suspended jail term and a fine of around $9,000.
He was arrested when police noticed him driving recklessly in his Rolls-Royce. He was pulled over, breathalysed, and found to be in excess of the legal alcohol limit. He admitted the offense soon after and apologised publicly.
This week, following the sentencing, he issued another statement in which he offered further explanation: “I would like to come on here and apologise. Last summer during my holidays in Monaco I made a mistake, and decided to drive home after having some drinks in a restaurant. I should’ve got into a taxi instead, but I didn’t.”
“So I would like to apologise, and wanna take full responsibility for my action. 2024 was a year of lessons, and I will definitely learn from this one. 2025 we will do better.”
Depay’s time in Europe took him to some of the world’s biggest clubs, starting at PSV before playing for Man Utd, Lyon, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. At the expiration of his Atléti contract he moved to Brazilian giants Corinthians.
In addition to an impressive club career, he has starred for the Dutch national team. Depay has represented his nation on 98 occasions, scoring 46 goals. Only Robin van Persie (50 goals) has scored more for the Netherlands, and Depay is still only 30 years old.
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