Marco Reus has had a strange career. It has gone from being one of the best young stars in world football to an injury-prone player to be a star once again. During this time, his status has never reduced and he’s always made an impact. And winning the Champions League wouldn’t just be an achievement. It will be a huge moment of redemption.
Reus first became a Dortmund player in 2012- the same summer which had seen Shinji Kagawa join Manchester United and Ivan Perisic had left for Wolfsburg. In his first Bundesliga season, Reus had a hand in 25 goals in 32 games only. That was very good for his first season, as Dortmund didn’t win the Bundesliga once again but they did reach the Champions League final – not that the new sportsbooks gave them any chance of winning the match.
Over the years, a similar process has followed. The club is yet to win the Bundesliga with Reus at the club but they’ve been falling short in Europe ever since. Not just that, but they’ve lost players on a consistent basis when Reus has stayed there.
In the summer of 2013, they lost Mario Gotze to Bayern Munich for a fee of €37 million. Sokratis, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang arrived in the same summer.
Reus had rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid too. Not just them, but many other clubs had been keeping on eye on the German too. He could’ve easily gone to some bigger clubs but Reus stayed when others left, giving a new account of himself each season.
Robert Lewandowski left in 2014, joining Bayern and Gotze on a free transfer. Out of the golden generation that Dortmund had, only Reus was left to earn himself a move away from BVB. But by this time, injury issues had begun to creep in.
He could play only 20 games in the league in the 2014-15 season. Despite that, he still contributed to 12 goals. This was a transition period for Dortmund. Jurgen Klopp had left and the club was recovering its identity. Reus’ injury issues didn’t help.
Ciro Immobile and Kevin Kampl left in the summer of 2015, while club icon Kuba Blaszczykowski left to join Fiorentina on loan too.
The 2015-16 season saw Reus recover some fitness. He played 39 times in all competitions, as injury issues were there. But he still contributed to 27 goals, impressing once again in a transition period.
What is strange about it is none of the players who left Reus behind have not won the Champions League. Aubameyang, Mkhitaryan, Mats Hummels and Ousmane Dembele have all left since the years gone by but haven’t won a European competition. They have won domestic trophies but have never won the Champions League.
Paco Alcacer and Christian Pulisic have been the latest players to leave, with Jadon Sancho expected to be the next one to depart. In some time, Erling Braut Haaland will be moving on as well. In that sense, Reus has seen loads of generational talents go past him and the club when he was one as well.
Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke has been vocal about that. He once told BILD (VIA Bundesliga.com): “What’s impressed me most is that he’s stayed at Borussia Dortmund, despite receiving a load of offers from elsewhere. You don’t see that very often.”
But the hint of karma comes from how none of them have won what they’ve desired for- the Champions League title. But what Reus has done isn’t something Football Twitter can value as much as they should. Loyalty is a very underrated part of the game in the modern-day and Reus has become the icon for that.
Things could’ve been very different for him if injuries had never struck. But here we are, watching things from how they are. If Dortmund win the Champions League with Reus in the side, it will be something that is perhaps meant to be. It will be a plot that only football and fate can produce.
