Cristian Volpato, the 22-year-old Socceroos World Cup star, has allegedly tested positive for cocaine after police caught him driving his BMW Coupe at 109km/h in a 60km/h zone on Sydney’s Anzac Bridge at about 1:10am on Friday – almost 50km/h over the limit.
It was the second time that night police had stopped Volpato for speeding on the same bridge. Two hours earlier, at 11:05pm on Thursday, he was caught travelling between 86-94km/h in the 60km/h zone. A roadside breath test at that stop returned a negative result.
“Socceroos star Cristian Volpato allegedly tested positive for cocaine after being stopped for speeding at 109km/h in a 60km/h zone in Sydney.”
During the second stop, police administered a roadside drug test which allegedly returned a positive result for cocaine. New South Wales state police said a secondary sample of oral fluid was taken for further analysis, and confirmed their inquiries will continue. Volpato was issued an infringement notice for excess speed and his international driver’s licence was suspended for six months, meaning he cannot drive in New South Wales. He has not been charged with a criminal offence.
Volpato was one of Australia’s breakout stars at the 2026 World Cup, playing in three of the Socceroos’ four matches as they reached the round of 32 before being knocked out by Egypt on penalties. He had switched his international allegiance from Italy to Australia in May, just before the squad was announced, having previously represented Italy at under-19 and under-20 level.
Born and raised in Sydney, Volpato played junior football for Sydney United 58, Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers before moving to Italy to join Roma. He left after two seasons to join Serie A side Sassuolo in 2023, where he made 24 league appearances last season as the club finished 11th. BBC Sport has approached Football Australia and Sassuolo for comment. The secondary drug test result is yet to be disclosed.