Marco Reus: the boy who hits back at the life and never gives up
“The Year is 2013, Borussia Dortmund has reached the Final of the champions league and will be playing none other than the Bundesliga Rival Bayern Munich in the final.
The Prodigal Son, Marco Reus’s return has been instrumental in Dortmund’s road to the Final of the Champions League. Combined with the likes of Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski, this Dortmund Side eliminated Mourinho’s Madrid in the Semi-Final. If Bayern has the formidable Duo of Robbery ( Robben + Ribery), Dortmund has its answer in the form of Reus, Gotze, and Lewandowski.”
“ Bayern Munich with the match 2–1 with Arjen Robben scoring the winner in the 89th minute. The Dortmund side is in tears but hopeful that this is just the beginning.”
Unfortunately, Dortmund never reached the final again nor did they repeat the Bundesliga title win of 2012. With time, most of the pieces from that 2013 masterpiece squad fell apart. Lewandowski left and was replaced by Aubameyang, who also left, and in the same manner, players kept arriving and leaving, but the boy from the streets of North Rhine-Westphalia never left.
Reus as a part of recent Dortmund history
In the process of players leaving the club, Reus became the leader and the role model in Borussia Dortmund. Reus is Known for his versatility, speed, agility, technical skills, intelligence, and shooting ability. He is the German player of the year for 2012 and 2019. In 2013, he was regarded as the fourth-best player in Europe by Bloomberg.
Reus has very impressive Goals and assists per game ratio. If we consider the seasons in which Reus has not been injured for most of the time, then he has an average of 20 goals and 15 assists, also notable is that Reus has not played more than 31 league games in a single season for Dortmund throughout his career.
Injuries as a part of Career
Throughout his career, his greatest weakness has been his proneness to injuries. If one were to consult the figures, they would find that Reus has spent more time being injured that Gareth bale. Since 2013, he has managed 30 or more League appearances in just two seasons.
Reus was unlucky to pick up an injury in 2014, which resulted in his exclusion from the German national squad that won the World Cup. He also missed the Euro 2016 due to injury.
Overcoming Challenges
The impressive thing, however, remains the way Marco Reus’s performance over the years has not been affected much even though his career has been plagued with injuries that sometimes kept him out for more than 7 months. The Dortmund squad has seen many changes over the years which are bound to affect the team chemistry but even that have never been a problem for Marco Reus. Often Dubbed as the Come Back Boy, Reus ended the 2018–19 season with 21 goals and 14 assists in all competitions and was named the 2019 Footballer of the Year in Germany, which is an indicator of how Marco always bounces back even stronger.
The Legacy Of Reus in Dortmund
The story of Marco Reus is about the skies he would have touched, the oceans he would have cross and mountains he would have climbed if injuries did not exist.
But it is equally a tale of loyalty for the Club and the mental strength of Marco Reus as he comes back from every injury even stronger and lets nothing get to his game.
“I have no regrets about staying. I belong at Borussia Dortmund.” Was the response of Reus whenever he was offered a move away from Dortmund to Barcelona, Madrid, or any other team and over the years, the football world has realized for better that the Loyalty of Reus cannot be bought.
The combination of Loyalty, Mental deterrence, and hitting back against the tides of misfortune make him an inspirational player and have earned him the nickname “ comeback Boy”.
In Reus, one can find the loyalty of Totti, comeback stories of Brazilian Ronaldo and the Leadership qualities of Ballack.
Author: Hamzah Mattoo has been following football religiously ever since the FIFA world cup 2006, when he was 7 years old and now after missing the chance to make a career in football, has decided to contribute through his words.
Creative Writer at Headkick.co
