Borussia Dortmund’s Germany winger Marco Reus was fined more than half a million euros yesterday for driving without a licence for years and said he had made a “stupid mistake”.

The 25-year-old, who has been involved in advertising for the club’s car sponsor and a petrol company, received speeding tickets at least five times since 2011 before the authorities realised he had been driving without a licence ever since.

“I decided back then to take that road but the reasons I did it are something I cannot really understand today,” Reus, a transfer target for several top European clubs, was quoted as saying by Bild.

“Today I know that I was too naive and that it was stupid. I have learned my lesson and this will not happen again,” he said.

Dortmund’s prosecutor’s office said the €540,000 fine related to incidents from 2011 until this March.

Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said Reus had admitted making a big mistake when he took a “wrong turn in his life”.

“I was also surprised. I talked to him today and he has fully accepted it was a mistake,” he told reporters.

“He took a wrong turn at some point. But everything is back to normal now. He is a great guy who made a mistake.”

Klopp said it may not have been easy for Reus to go back and take a test while already being so well known as a Germany international.

“He probably saw no way out of this,” he added.

The club said they had discussed the matter with the player who said he had made a “stupid” mistake.

Reus, who missed Germany’s World Cup triumph in July after picking up an injury in the final warm-up game, is currently out of action with another ankle injury.