Is Marco Reus Destined to Win the Champions League?

In the grand theater of football, few tales tug at the heartstrings like the one of Marco Reus. His story, as enthralling as an epic poem, weaves through the highs of raw potential and the lows of relentless adversity, encapsulating the spirit of a hero. This is the tragic story of Marco Reus. Despite the revolving door of talent with generations of players using his club, Borussia Dortmund, merely as a stepping stool to glory and bigger clubs, his unwavering loyalty never allowed him to take that step and leave. He was a Peter Pan in cleats, refusing to grow up and change on his morals. While all the players around him went on to other clubs, winning several trophies and leaving their names permanently etched in the history books, Reus stayed and lived a career of pain and suffering. Every time glory was within his reach, injury struck him down. With 68 different injuries throughout his career, an average of nearly five per season, he would often be watching from the sideline as his beloved club would sniff the pinnacle of football but fall just short. 

One thing that most people forget is that Dortmund actually initially rejected Reus. When Reus was just 17 playing youth football in Dortmund’s academy, they dismissed him on the account that they thought he was too skinny and wouldn’t make it in professional football. With nowhere else to go Reus found himself in the third division of German football playing for Rot Weiss Ahlen and to add insult to injury, he was sent to their B team. This was the lowest of lows, but at just 17, there was nowhere else to go but up. After two years, Reus had joined the first team helping them to achieve promotion, and was playing so well he secured himself a move to the German top division with Borussia Monchengladbach. Again, after just two years Reus was impressive as he was the top scorer for his team and was even called up to represent his national team Germany. However, despite his stellar playing career thus far, his third season at the club would change his life forever. He took his game to another level, scoring 21 goals and 14 assists in just 37 matches, not only winning Young Player of the Year but also the outright award for Player of the Year. At that moment, at just 22 years of age, he could have joined any team in the world, but instead, even after all they had done to him, he chose to join Dortmund. 

This was the start of a legendary 12-year career at Dortmund, scoring 169 goals and providing 130 assists in his time for the club. In his first season, he even led his team all the way to the Champions League Final where they faced “the kings of Germany” and their biggest rivals, Bayern Munich. However, despite Reus playing very well and earning them the penalty that would tie the game, the German powerhouse couldn’t be stopped and they were beaten by an 89th-minute winner from Arjen Robben. Instead of the fairy tale ending it could have been, it became a horror story, one that would become the story of his career at Dortmund, losing silverware to Bayern in the last moments. He is, as many describe him, “the unluckiest man in Germany”, losing a total of four Cup Finals, three to rivals Bayern, and placing second in the league a staggering seven times, all with Bayern just above them. 

However, with all that being said, on June 1st, 2024, Reus will have one last chance at glory. If Dortmund can manage to beat Real Madrid in the Champions League final, Reus, the unluckiest football player in the world, will finally catch a break. His curse may finally come to an end. However, it won’t be easy. Real Madrid is the massive favorite, having a far superior side and the most Champions League wins in history. Like Bayern is the king of Germany, Madrid is the king of Europe. Yet, despite this fact, it almost feels like it is destiny from the footballing gods that Dortmund will win. With his contract coming to an end and rumors of a move to MLS, what better end to his career at Dortmund than to win the most coveted club trophy in the world? Despite all the challenges, setbacks, and defeats, if Marco Reus can lift the trophy in his final game for the club, every moment of struggle will become a triumph, making all the hardships he’s faced more than worthwhile. You couldn’t write a better story if you tried.