Jesse Lingard hit with 18-month drink-drive ban but denies racing £200k Lamborghini

Jesse Lingard has apologised for 'putting the lives of others at risk' after he admitted drink-driving in his £200,000 Lamborghini.

The former Manchester United player was on Thursday fined £57,000 for being more than twice the legal limit. Manchester magistrates’ court heard how Lingard, 30, was driving in Sale, Greater Manchester, on July 8, this year, when he was stopped by police.

Tara Riley, prosecuting, said an officer who was following his Lamborghini Urus became aware it was being driven at speed. The officer’s 'initial belief', she said, was Lingard’s vehicle was racing another high-performance car.

"He doesn’t believe 100 per cent they were racing but they were driving at speed," she said.

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She said the officer spoke to Lingard, from Altrincham, at the roadside and believed he was under the influence of alcohol. A breath test revealed 76 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath, The Mirror reports.

Frank Rogers, representing Lingard, described the player’s actions as 'out of character'. He said Lingard, who pleaded guilty to a charge of drink-driving, had initially been out for a meal with friends and only drunk soft drinks. He had intended going home but received a call from a 'fellow professional footballer' and drove to Manchester to have a 'few drinks' with him.

Mr Rogers said Lingard had 'mistakenly' believed he had left sufficient time to drive home, describing it as 'spontaneous decision'. A personal