No native of Dortmund has worn the German national jersey more often than Marco Reus. And apart from him, no one has ever played in a European Championship. He wants to add more to the two appearances he made in 2012 next year and he wants to do it as a leader in a young team.
If you want to understand Marco Reus and his attachment to his homeland, you should first take a look at his childhood. Marco Reus was four years old when his parents registered him at the Post-Sportverein Dortmund. His first coach was a woman, Andrea Schürmann was her name. "That was not unusual for us at the time, and she taught us how to play football and have fun at the same time," he remembers today ahead of the international double (20.45 CEST) against Argentina in his hometown and on Sunday in the European Championship qualifier against Estonia (20.45 CEST).
And Marco was good, even back then. When he was six years old, clubs were interested in him: Bochum, Wattenscheid, also Borussia Dortmund. "Ultimately it was a simple decision for me as a BVB fan to go directly to Dortmund," he said.At the age of 15, Reus leaves BVB - for a while
A few years later, Borussia became Club World Cup winners, he and his teammates from the youth side were allowed to bring the cup to the stadium. Cheers echoed from the stands and in the middle a little boy with a big goal. "An unforgettable moment," he said. Later, the young Reus was in the Westfalenstadion and his idol was Tomáš Rosický, the Czech playmaker, with whom Borussia became German champion in 2002. With a BVB junior team Reus played in the build up to a Bundesliga match in front of the 25,000 spectators who were already in the stadium, and "after us Amoroso, Koller, Rosický were all playing, I was so excited."
However, at the age of 15, he left BVB to further his career. As a junior B player, he had barely played, Reus was smaller and slimmer than most. But his fate was not sealed, he said, so he went his own way in January 2005 to Ahlen. There he did a trial, and was taken on. And the rest is history: professional contract, Regionalliga, 2. Bundesliga. In 2009 he transferred to Borussia Mönchengladbach, became a regular, a high flyer, a national player, footballer of the year.
Then Dortmund came calling again and Reus made a decision from the heart to return home. When he extended his contract in 2018 to 2023, he went on to explain that: “Dortmund is my home, and BVB is my club! I have dreamed of playing in the black and yellow colours of this club since I was a child.” When people in Dortmund talk about someone who truly loves the club, Reus is the first name on everyone’s lips. It is his eight season with Dortmund and his second as captain. Reus is the longest-serving player at Borussia Dortmund, and is the face of the club. The coaches refer to him as a game-changer.
“We’re on the right track”. Today, the reigning footballer of the year and national team player of the year plays in the stadium in which he has experienced so much at club level. It’s a test against a strong adversary, but more important are the final three game of European Championship qualification: against Estonia in four days in Tallinn, then in November the two home games against Belarus and Northern Ireland. He is also now one of the leaders in the national team, whose experience and opinion are on demand not only on the pitch.
After the Northern Ireland match, he stated that “Such stages are just part of our young team’s maturing process and we are on the right track.” Next year, he has his sights set on playing at his second European Championship. In 2012 he was still a novice, after all, and made two appearances in the tournament, but his eye-catching goal against Greece left an impression. In the years that followed, a lot happened, including numerous injury setbacks, but also big games and victories. The only Dortmund native so far in the squad, Reus wants to make a big contribution to the side and play well at Euro 2020. “It is always a privilege to be with the squad,” he says. He would be 31 at the time of the tournament. “And at that point tournaments I can play in will be few and far between.”