Spurs defender Cristian Romero has been banned from driving for six months after he was caught speeding in his £200,000 Lamborghini.
The 27-year-old centre back, who is rumoured to be leaving the north London club this summer, landed himself in trouble with the police after activating a speed camera on the North Circular last December.
It was the latest in a string of traffic violations by Romero, putting him in line for an automatic road ban.
The Argentinian national had been driving at 60 miles an hour in his Lamborghini Urus, a luxury SUV retailing at £200,000, on a stretch of the A406 in North Finchley where the limit is 50 miles an hour.
Romero pleaded guilty when charged with speeding, telling Lavender Hill magistrates court simply: “I am guilty of this offence”.
Magistrate Gilles Casse imposed a six-month ban, and ordered the Tottenham star to pay a £1,000 fine, £100 in costs, and a £400 victim surcharge, in a court hearing conducted in private last week.
Romero was part of the Spurs side which defeated Manchester United in the Europa League final in May, bringing the club’s first taste of silverware in 17 years.
Despite the European triumph, manager Ange Postecoglou was sacked two weeks later by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, and Romero took to social media to pay tribute to the cup-winning boss, saying: “Beyond everything, we won a trophy and went down in the history of this beautiful club, which is the only thing that matters.”
Romero has been at the centre of transfer rumours since new manager Thomas Frank was appointed, and is said to be in preliminary talks with Atletico Madrid over a possible £70 million switch.
However Frank is said to be keen on keeping the World Cup winner, and Levy is poised to make Romero the club’s highest earner if he agrees to stay.
Court documents show Romero’s driving troubles came from an incident on December 11 last year, on the A406 between Bounds Green Road and High Road in Finchley.
The Metropolitan Police said Romero’s car triggered a speed camera and a notice of intended prosecution was sent out to his £10 million six-bedroom mansion in Highgate.
Romero was initially offered a fixed penalty fine in January, but the matter was switched to court when it was realised that Romero already has several points on his licence.
“The additional penalty points would have resulted in the total current points on the licence being 12 or more”, a police staff member told the court.
Romero was then prosecuted in the Single Justice Procedure, a fast-track courts process where hearings are conducted in private and magistrates take decisions based on written evidence.
The Met produced the speed camera image of Romero’s speeding car, and the player entered a guilty plea online.
He gave the Spurs player liaison officer as his email contact, and also produced details of his driving licence, which was issued in Italy.
Romero’s ban started last week and is due to expire on Boxing Day, just before the club’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.
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