8 footballers who were in prison (for drugs, fights and rape)

Legend of the “Torpedo” of Moscow, Streltsov began his career at the age of 16. Two years later, he became the top scorer in the USSR championship, at the age of 19 – the Olympic champion. And the following year, Eduard Streltsov went to prison for raping 20-year-old Marina Lebedeva. The girl wrote a statement to the footballer after the May night spent in his company at the dacha of friends. Proof of Streltsov’s guilt was not sufficient. All the guys and girls at the party were very drunk and couldn’t say exactly what happened, but the examination confirmed the connection between Lebedeva and Streltsov. The athlete was sentenced to 12 years – there are versions that the political persecution of the athlete was the reason for the sentence. As a result, Streltsov spent 5 years behind bars, was released on parole and returned to big sport.

Despite numerous problems with the law (drugs, fights, accidents, tax problems), the famous football brawler did not have real warrants, but he still visited the prison of Maradona. In 1991, the athlete was arrested for possession of cocaine, but he spent only 4 days in a remand center, after being released on bail. Later, Diego Maradona received a suspended sentence. 4 years later, the football player was again brought to justice – for attacking people. Maradona decided to disperse the paparazzi at his home using… an air gun. The prosecution requested 4 years in prison for the footballer, but he still got off with a suspended sentence.

In 1979, Rossi spent several months in prison for helping bookmakers. The footballer agreed to play a draw in a fixed match between his Perugia team and the Avellino club.

Higuita is a star not only in sports, but also in the criminal world. The footballer worked as an intermediary between Pablo Escobar and Carlos Molina, the main Colombian drug lords. In 1993, Higuita was responsible for freeing Molina’s kidnapped daughter. The athlete handed over the ransom and delivered the child to the boss, who violated the law: an agreement with the kidnappers means help in the kidnapping. René spent 7 months in prison awaiting trial, but he was never charged or released.

Best struggled with alcoholism his entire independent life, but rarely emerged victorious. In 1984, Best was arrested for drunk driving and assaulting a police officer. The footballer spent three months in prison, including the Christmas holidays. Unfortunately, this story did not sober Best. In 2002, Best underwent a liver transplant, but continued to drink after the operation. Three years later, the player was gone.

Another article on drunk driving is from Englishman Tony Adams. In 1991, he was sentenced to 4 months. After 7 years, the footballer managed to overcome alcoholism.

During his life, the footballer organized dozens of fights, but rewound the term for only one. In 2008, Barton served 2.5 months for a drunken fight with a passerby in central Liverpool.

In 1993, the footballer collaborated with counterfeiters, disclosing small counterfeit banknotes to his coaches and colleagues. However, he really failed to make any money – Mickey was tied up almost immediately. The footballer spent 1.5 years in prison. Thomas failed to return to big sport. Until the age of 40, he played for amateur teams, then began to commentate games on radio and television.