Life comes at you fast. For Harry Maguire, it comes at 37 miles per hour in a 30 zone. Just weeks after Thomas Tuchel brutally axed the 33-year-old defender from England’s World Cup squad—leaving him “shocked and gutted”—Maguire has been slapped with a £1,000 speeding fine. While his international teammates boarded flights to the United States to prepare for the 2026 tournament, the Manchester United centre-back was left grounded, staring at court papers.
The clock-up happened on December 28 last year. Maguire was piloting his £130,000 Range Rover through Altrincham, Greater Manchester, on his usual commute between Old Trafford and his Cheshire mansion. He was clocked doing 37mph. A minor slip, perhaps, but the law does not care about Premier League reputations. He pleaded guilty in writing, offering a classic footballer’s excuse: he thought it was a 40mph zone. He even begged for a speed awareness course. No dice. Tameside Magistrates’ Court handed him three penalty points, a grand in fines, £120 in costs, and a £400 victim surcharge. This comes after a 56-day driving ban he served back in January 2025. Some people never learn.
He was not the only one behaving badly behind the wheel. The Carrington parking lot must look like a traffic court waiting room. Two of Maguire’s Manchester United teammates are in the same soup.
Take Altay Bayindir. The 28-year-old reserve goalkeeper was caught doing 41mph in a 30mph zone in Hale Barns. It happened late on November 24, barely an hour after United whimpered to a 1-0 defeat against Everton. Talk about a bad night. Bayindir, who actually made Turkey’s World Cup squad, quietly pleaded guilty. He got hit with a £666 fine, three points, and £386 in extra fees.
Then there is Matheus Cunha. The 27-year-old Brazilian striker is facing a much bigger headache. His Mercedes was clocked at 37mph on the exact same stretch of Hale Road as Bayindir’s. This happened hours after United’s opening-day loss to Arsenal last August. But Cunha did not just speed. He ignored the cops.
According to police, the Brazilian failed to respond to letters asking him to identify the driver. Now he faces an extra criminal charge. No plea has been entered yet, and he is staring down the barrel of a potential driving ban. While he prepares for the World Cup with Brazil, his lawyers are preparing for a December 16 showdown at Bolton Magistrates’ Court.
All three players avoided the embarrassment of showing up to court last week, thanks to the closed-door single justice procedure. A lone magistrate rubber-stamped their fates in private. But for Maguire, the sting remains. No World Cup. No sympathy. Just another expensive mistake on a very slow road to nowhere.
