German paper Bild reports (paywall) that Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus has been fined €540,000 after police discovered he had been driving without a license for the past three years. Apparently Reus received five speeding tickets during that time, but somehow police never figured out that he also didn't have a license, until now.
Reus was fined "90 Tagessätze," or 90 daily rates, a system of sliding fines in use in some European countries. The daily rate for each person is determined by their income and family situation. Since Reus is single, childless, and wealthy, his daily rate was about as high as they go.
The German magazine Focus has an explanation (quoting Bild) from Reus: he took driving lessons at 18, but never took the license test. Everything was working out fine, so Reus just went with it. "I then unfortunately decided to go that route. I can not comprehend the reasons even today."
Most soccer websites peg Reus as earning between €60,000 and €65,000 a week, so the fine represents about nine weeks of Reus' wages. Considering he's reportedly demanding a €230,000 weekly wage from the soccer giants—Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Manchester United—that are circling Dortmund ready to buy Reus this summer, I suspect he'll be okay financially.
[Bild]
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