Every week at The Center Circle, we are highlighting a different player in a feature we call “On the Spot”. We’ll take a look at superstars, underrated gems, aging veterans, and young unknowns who should be known. We’ll peruse their club and international careers, taking note of their teams, statistics, and highlight reels. We’ll illuminate their strengths and weaknesses and comment on their personalities and reputations. It will be some fun. If there is anyone you want to see “On the Spot”, feel free to comment below.
Marco Reus
Marco Reus is the prodigal son that returned to Dortmund. Born in Dortmund, Reus joined BVB’s youth academy before going elsewhere and finally returning to his hometown club. He already has a bevy of awards, including the 2012 German footballer of the year, while the attacker’s skills have him highly coveted by many clubs across Europe. The 25-year-old has established himself as a first choice option for Joachim Low’s national team squad, while an injury held him out of the World Cup this summer. Perhaps the most interesting snippet about Reus’s career thus far has been his bromance with Mario Gotze. The players were apart of BVB’s youth system, eventually becoming senior team members and forming one of the best midfield duos in the entire world while also playing on the national team together. It is clear that Gotze and Robert Lewandowski’s departure from Dortmund to Bayern Munich shook him, even leading him to vow to never to play for Bayern. The lone man left at Dortmund will certainly have some career decisions ahead, but for now he is a goal scoring star who would love to win the Bundesliga and Champions League.
Prodigal Son – Club Career
Born and raised in Dortmund, Reus joined the local club’s youth system in 1996 after spending two years with Post SV Dortmund. Due to a bevy of young talent at the midfielder position and injury concerns by the staff due to his slender frame, Reus didn’t receive much playing time. In 2006, Reus made the decision to join Rot Weiss Ahlen, playing for their U-19 squad and making a few second team appearances. The next year he began to break into the first team, making two starts and 14 total appearances. He scored two goals that season, with one coming on the final match day, lifting his squad to be promoted to 2. Bundesliga.
During the 2008-09 season he had his breakout, scoring four goals in his 27 appearances. Bigger clubs began to take notice and eventually made the move and signed with Borussia Monchengladbach. His career began to take off, scoring 8, 12, and 21 goals in the next three seasons. That is when his hometown club came calling. Dortmund bought Reus for a transfer fee of 17.1 million euros, with Reus stating his desire to play for a club that could compete every year in the Bundesliga, and one that is consistently in the Champions League.
Once there, he reignited his bromance with Gotze, while Lewandowski made them a frightening trio for opposing defenses, eventually finishing second in the Bundesliga and Champions league to Bayern Munich. While Gotze left for Bayern Munich on a record transfer, Reus continued to shine, upping his goal total during the 2013-14 season to 23 goals in 43 appearances. Injuries have limited him to start this season, but once healthy Dortmund will look for him to be the playmaker he has been the past few seasons.
International Career
In Germany, competition for national team spots is fierce, and it is pretty easy to see why. Reus made a handful of appearances on his countries’ national team before breaking through and becoming a fixture in Joachim Low’s squad while qualifying for the World Cup. He made the 30-man provisional squad and was expected to start when his dreams were crushed in the final tune up match before the team left for Brazil. Late in the first half of a friendly with Armenia, Reus went in on a challenge and ended up with a partial tear of his anterior ligament. His World Cup dream was over before it even began. His best friend Gotze made sure that he wasn’t forgotten though. Gotze carried his copatriot’s jersey throughout the entire World Cup and even dedicated his goal and win to Reus. His career will continue however, and he will turn to Euro 2016 as his chance to finally star for Germany.
Off the Pitch
Reus is pretty reserved when off the pitch. He is visible in the media due to his sponsorship from Puma for their evoPower line, but is generally off the radar otherwise. His social media is pretty bare and he doesn’t make a lot of headlines when not playing. He is known for his illustrious haircuts, ranging from a spiky front to shaved sides.
The biggest clubs in the world will be making a push for Reus once his release clause is able to be triggered next year, although he has made it clear that he will not join Gotze and Lewandowski at Bayern saying “I wish luck to Lewa and Gotze, but Bayern will never have me. Money is not everything.” While he did date German TV commentator Caro Bohs from 2009 to 2013, Reus is still single; although he has joked that he would marry his friend Gotze if he were a woman.
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