Russian striker Fedor Smolov, who flopped for the country in the recent World Cup, wrecked his limited edition $143,000 BMW 5 while out driving in Krasnodar, South Russia. The striker emerged unhurt from the accident.
Smolov, who plays for local Russian Premier League (RPL) club FC Krasnodar, apparently lost control of his limited edition BMW 5 FIRST in the early hours of Wednesday morning, after which the vehicle flew dozens of yards through a metal road barrier.
In video footage of the aftermath taken at the scene of the crash, one bystander can be heard commenting that Smolov, 28, was unable turn the steering wheel in time and as a result rammed the vehicle through the barrier.
The crash caps off a nightmare few weeks for Smolov. Formerly heralded as the darling of Russian football, his poor performance against Croatia in the World Cup quarter-final in Sochi and his missed spot kick in the game's penalty shootout were singled out as key factors of Russia’s exit.
In Krasnodar’s RPL opener on Sunday away to Rubin Kazan, the striker’s wayward pass set up Rubin’s Sardar Azmoun to score the winning goal in a 2-1 loss for his side.
Smolov had been the subject of a move to English Premier League club West Ham during last season, but the switch never materialized despite much speculation.