Center-back Harry Maguire and two Manchester United teammates have just been prosecuted and fined by the court following a series of speeding offenses off the pitch.
Manchester United players are always the center of scrutiny, and their off-pitch troubles often attract as much media attention as their professional performances. Recently, the Press Association and Sky News simultaneously reported that three first-team stars of the Red Devils, including Harry Maguire, Altay Bayindir, and Matheus Cunha, have faced criminal legal proceedings for separate traffic violations that occurred last year.
First is center-back Harry Maguire, who has just experienced a major shock after being excluded from England’s 2026 World Cup campaign by coach Thomas Tuchel. As his teammates flew to the US to gather, the 33-year-old player received more bad news from the Tameside court.
Maguire was caught driving his £130,000 Range Rover at 37 mph in a 30 mph zone in Altrincham on December 28 last year. The former Man Utd captain pleaded guilty in writing, was fined £1,000, had 3 points deducted from his driving license, and was ordered to pay a total of £520 in additional costs. In his apology letter, Maguire explained that he mistakenly thought this was a 40 mph speed limit zone.
Processed privately at the same time as Maguire, backup goalkeeper Altay Bayindir was also fined £666 and had 3 points deducted from his license by the Manchester Magistrates’ Court. The Turkish international was recorded driving at 41 mph in a 30 mph zone in the village of Hale Barns. Notably, the incident occurred at 11 PM on November 24 last year, just an hour after he and the club suffered a 0-1 defeat to Everton.
The most troublesome case is that of forward Matheus Cunha. The Mercedes registered in the name of the 27-year-old Brazilian striker was caught speeding on the exact same stretch of road as Bayindir, just a few hours after the defeat to Arsenal in the opening round of the Premier League on August 17.
It does not stop there; Cunha is currently charged with an additional criminal offense for failing to cooperate, deliberately ignoring letters requesting to identify the driver from the police. Unlike his two teammates who have pleaded guilty, Cunha’s file has no plea, and he will have to appear in open court at the Bolton Magistrates’ Court on December 16 to face a potential driving ban.
This series of speeding scandals – coupled with the fact that young defender Leny Yoro was previously banned from driving for 6 months – is raising serious alarm bells about the discipline and awareness of the red half of Manchester’s stars off the pitch.
