Footballers who broke the law behind the wheel

When Marco Reus was stopped in March of this year, police soon realized he didn't have a license. The result: a fine for over half-a-million euros. But he isn't banned from getting a license. Apparently, he's said he wants to take lessons and sit the test as soon as possible.

Marco Reus isn't the only German footballer to struggle with road rules. Ahead of the World Cup this year, Germany coach Joachim Löw had his license taken off him for six months, due to repeated speeding offenses. He's also believed to have telephoned while driving. Christmas is coming, he's probably asked for a hands-free.

Reus got a huge fine but no ban. The exact opposite happened to Alexei Ionov (left) from Russian club Zenit St. Petersbug. When he was pulled over by police, the Russian player attempted to escape, but he didn't get far. After a short chase, he was stopped again. Ionov refused to submit to an alcohol test and was forced to hand in his license for 18 months…and pay a fine of just 48 euros.

Augsburg's Raul Bobadilla can thank his lucky stars after getting clocked at 111 kilometers-per-hour in a 50 zone, in Switzerland. He could have gone to jail for 18 months, but instead received a suspended sentence of 16 months, lost his license and paid a 38,000 euro fine.

Former German national team player Gerald Asamoah drove into a tree earlier this year, under the influence of alcohol. Aside from a few grazes the striker came away unhurt, but was stripped of his license, for the second time. In 2007, he was recorded driving at 105 kilometers-per-hour through a section of road works.

Former Germany captain Michael Ballack crossed the line in November 2012. He was clocked driving a whopping 211 kilometers-per-hour on a Spanish motorway, where the limit was 120 kph. He lost his license for 18 months and was forced to pay a 6,700 euro fine.

Italian striker Mario Balotelli is renowned for his behavior off the pitch, and it's no different when he's behind the wheel of a car. He's been known to collect parking tickets worth over 10,000 euros and he also regularly trashes his (often glamorous) vehicles.

Remember this guy? Marko Arnautovic played at Werder Bremen up until September 2013. One policeman from Vienna can remember him very well. When Arnautovic was stopped by police for driving too fast, the Austrian striker is believed to have said: "I don't need to listen to you. I earn so much I could buy your life."

After his club's official Carnival party, Cologne player Miso Brecko drove behind what he thought was a bus on a bumpy road. The problem was, it wasn't a bus, but a tram. And Brecko was driving on the tracks. When he got to the next stop, he stopped the car and got out. The tires and underbody of the car were ruined.

Bremen's cult striker Ailton once drove through the same speed camera twice, within a few minutes. The result: he had to hand in his license. Probably the most infamous double strike of his football career.