Footballer Carlos Tevez has been fined and ordered to do 250 hours of community service after pleading guilty to driving while disqualified and without insurance.
The Manchester City striker admitted the offences in his native Spanish with the aid of an interpreter as he stood in the dock at Macclesfield Magistrates' Court.
The court heard the player had suffered a "frightening" experience and a "salutary lesson" after being taken into custody and arrested by police last month.
Tevez, who earns £200,000 a week, received the community order for driving while disqualified, was banned for six months, and fined £60.
Reporting from court, Sky's Becky Johnson said: "He (Tevez) carried out an interview today with a probation officer in which he said he was sorry and said he wanted to give something back to the community.
"His lawyer made it clear his client did recognise how serious the offences are and was unlikely to ever do anything like that again."
Mike Boliver, the Probation Service officer, told the court the footballer had no previous convictions so rehabilitation was not appropriate and neither was a curfew order because of the travel involved with his job.
Mr Boliver added: "He was very clear when talking to me this has been a very salutary lesson. I think the seriousness and significance of this type of offence, I think the likelihood of this happening again is very, very slim.
Passing sentence, chair of the bench Elizabeth Depares told the defendant: "Mr Tevez, you must realise you are a role model to thousands, if not millions, of fans but nobody is above the law. You should not have been driving.
The court heard the Argentinian player has not yet got a UK driving licence, partly because he has struggled to pass the theory test which is conducted in English.
The 29-year-old player was stopped as he left a golf club in a Porsche Cayenne on March 7 after an anonymous tip-off to police.
In January, he was banned from driving for six months after admitting two counts of failing to provide information relating to incidents in which his Hummer vehicle was clocked speeding.
He was represented by his solicitor who told the court the footballer failed to respond to documents because he did not recognise the word "constabulary".
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