Socceroos star Cristian Volpato allegedly tests positive to cocaine during roadside test

Updated July 24, 2026 — 1:14pm,first published 1:11pmSocceroos star Cristian Volpato allegedly tested positive to cocaine after being caught driving at more than 50km/h over the speed limit in Sydney overnight.The 22-year-old – one of Australia’s brightest young football talents – was allegedly driving his BMW at 109km/h in a 60km/h zone across Anzac Bridge, west of Sydney’s CBD, just after 1am on Friday. He allegedly returned a positive result for cocaine after telling officers he had not taken drugs.Cristian Volpato allegedly tested positive to cocaine during a roadside test in Sydney.APA secondary sample of oral fluid was taken for further analysis. Volpato had been stopped two hours earlier on Anzac Bridge and issued an infringement notice after allegedly being caught driving more than 20km/h over the speed limit.Volpato’s international driver’s licence was suspended for six months. He has not been charged with a criminal offence.Volpato was one of the Socceroos’ breakout stars at the World Cup, having made a shock decision on the eve of the tournament to switch his international allegiance from Italy to Australia.Born and raised in Sydney, Volpato told reporters at the World Cup of how his family “left everything” behind after he was released from the academies of Sydney FC and the Western Sydney Wanderers to take up a trial with Italian club AS Roma before making his Serie A debut at 18.In 2023, Volpato was sold by Roma to Serie A rivals Sassuolo, and was believed to have been departing Sydney on Friday to begin pre-season training with his club. He has since been linked to a move to Fiorentina, now coached by Fabio Grosso, his former manager at Sassuolo, in this transfer window.Football Australia has been contacted for comment.More to comeBe the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app.From our partners