It all came to a head on March 18, according to Germany's "Bild" newspaper. Marco Reus was apparently stopped while driving his Aston Martin through the streets of Dortmund after practice with the team. The Bundesliga pro had his ID card with him but no driver's license. A routine police check then uncovered that he did not have a valid license at all.

According to "Bild," Reus had also been caught by speed cameras five times for driving too fast, the first incident being in September 2011. He'd apparently paid the speeding fines each time, but officials never noticed he didn't have a valid driver's license.

Now, Reus has received a 540,000 euro ($664,667) fine for all six driving offences, according to Dortmund Prosecutor Barbara Vogelsang.

The fine is calculated on the basis of Reus' monthly wage, which is believed to be around 180,000 euros. It's believed to be one of the highest driving fines in German history.

"Bild" reported that Reus did attend driving lessons when he turned 18 but never completed a driving test. Instead, he apparently took to the streets without a valid license. "I decided, back then, to go down this path," he told the newspaper. "I can't really understand the reasons myself, in hindsight."

A year to forget

The scandal caps off a horrible year for the 25-year-old Dortmund player, who is considered one of German football's top upcoming talents.

An injury kept Reus from being a part of Germany's World Cup-winning team in Brazil. Since then he has continued to be link:18055232:dogged by injury#. Most recently, he's been ruled out until January due to muscle tears in his right foot.

His club future has also been the subject of constant media attention. A move to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich has been mooted, but Germany's 2012 Footballer of the Year is staying quiet on the subject.

For the moment, Reus says he plans on obtaining his driver's license as soon as possible.

What do you think of the fine handed down to Marco Reus? Is it fair? Leave us your comments in our discussion section below.