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Former Manchester United attacker Jesse Lingard has got into a spot of legal bother in South Korea.
The 31 year old broke through the United academy and played 232 times for the club, scoring 35 goals.
Probably his biggest moment came in 2016 when he scored a spectacular late winner at Wembley against Crystal Palace to give United victory in the FA Cup final.
Nonetheless, after an impressive 2017-2018 season, Lingard’s influence in the team would wane substantially and he was finally released in 2023 and surprisingly signed for South Korean side FC Seoul earlier this year.
His return to first team football got off to a poor start as he was heavily criticised by his coach but he has since began to play regularly and was even named captain of the K-League side.
Things have once again taken a more negative turn in South Korea however as he has got into trouble with the police after sharing a video of himself on Instagram, riding a scooter through the streets of Seoul.
Goal.com report that the police investigated the incident as “according to South Korean law, individuals are required to possess a valid driver’s license to operate electric scooters, a rule implemented earlier this year to enhance public safety” and are also supposed to wear a helmet.
Lingard did not follow either of these rules and quickly published an apology via a statement on social media.
He claimed, “I didn’t know the rules of wearing a helmet or having a license as well. In England, and probably in Europe as well, you can just pick up an e-scooter off the street and start riding it. Anyone visiting South Korea, obviously, you have to check the rules. It can be dangerous. Safety first for everyone. Obviously, I won’t do that again.”
“Lingard’s apology may have helped mitigate some of the public backlash, but it did not exempt him from the legal consequences. After the completion of the investigation, South Korean police confirmed that Lingard had been fined a total of 190,000 won ($142) for his unlicensed e-scooter ride.”
It was also investigated whether the former United man was under the influence of alcohol or drugs but it was decided because so much time had elapsed between the incident and the investigation, it would have been impossible to accurately determine.
The incident ends a bad week for the England international as he was recently mocked by an opposition player as they mimicked his celebration after scoring a late winner versus his side.
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