Onlookers said the striker was 'lucky to be alive' after the smash, which happened as he was on his way to training.

A bystander who took these pictures of the wreckage, said: "It looked a real mess. The front of it was pretty much smashed in and the BMW was in a bad way too." Balotelli was breathlysed by police at the scene but was not found to be over the drink-drive limit. A City spokesman said he was not injured and turned up for training as normal.