Born in Borussia Dortmund on 31 May 1989, Marco Reuss joined the youth army in his hometown at the age of seven, but at the age of 16 he was considered too thin and joined the red and white Allen Under-19s instead, restarting his career until 2009, when the 20-year-old Marco Reuss chose to join Borussia Mönchengladbach on a four-year contract and began to make a name for himself, returning to Dortmund as the German Footballer of the Year in 2012. Marco Reuss always wanted to play for the Nerazzurri and playing for Borussia Dortmund was his childhood dream, so when the opportunity presented itself, Marco Reuss didn't let it go.
Marco Reuss is actually named after his parents after Dutch legend Van Basten. However, Marco Royce's parents originally wanted to name him Dennis, but in the 1988 European Championship, Van Basten scored a brilliant volley against the Soviet Union, so his parents decided to name him "Marco".
About his nicknames, "Woody" and "Prince Dortmund"
Because of his hairstyle and the way he shook his head while running, his teammates thought he looked a lot like the cartoon woodpecker Woody ("Woody the Woodpecker"), so he adopted Woody as his X (formerly Twitter) account name woodyinho.
The "Prince of Dortmund" underlined his status and influence in the team, and his performances and loyalty to the team earned him the nickname. His contributions and leadership have cemented his reputation as a key figure in the locker room and fan base.
I don't regret staying, I belong to Dortmund
In the first season after returning to Dortmund, Marco Reuss helped the team reach the Champions League final, but in the end failed to lift the Big Ears Cup at Wembley, after the season, Marco Royce's friend Mario Gotze switched to the arch-rival Bayern Munich, and at the end of the following season, Lewandowski also followed in Gotze's footsteps and joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer, when Marco Royce was the only one in the Dort's trident.
However, the nightmare is coming, Dortmund ushered in the worst season in recent years, the team fell into the relegation zone several times, facing the nightmare of the team is very likely to suffer relegation, and in addition to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich, which has never been absent, are actively trying to tempt Marco Reuss with a huge salary, and even very likely to sign Marco Reuss from Dortmund with a low release fee of 20 million pounds, most fans think that the "Prince of Dortmund" He will also leave Borussia Dort at the end of the season to join the European giants.
At the lowest moment for the team and fans, Dortmund and Marco Reuss suddenly announced that they had completed the contract extension, injecting a valuable shot in the arm for the team, and in the face of the temptation of the giants, Marco Reuss chose to remain loyal to his favorite team.
Marco Reuss said: "I want to play for Borussia Dortmund forever and in my heart it has always been the team that attracts me the most. Here I have all the joy, myself, my family, my club. It's a decision that has been a matter of my career. When I came back here, I said I had a big plan with the team and now I'm going to keep what I promised, and I'm going to share the weal and woe with Dort. ”
And this decision has left an indelible mark on him at Borussia Dortmund, becoming a fan favorite and a symbol of the club's revival.
The tournament was plagued by injuries and became synonymous with regret
Marco Reuss got off to a great start to his international career, scoring at Euro 2012 when he was injured in an international friendly before the 2014 World Cup, where Germany lifted the trophy by beating Argentina and his good friend Gotze raised his shirt in celebration. Two years later, at the UEFA Cup, he withdrew again due to injury. He was finally able to play at the 2018 World Cup, scoring against Sweden in the group stage, but Germany were eliminated by losing to Mexico and South Korea.
At Euro 2021, he announced his retirement from the national team because he wanted to recover from physical fatigue at the end of the Bundesliga season. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar seems to be Marco Reuss' last chance to wear the German jersey, but he also retired from the national team after retiring from the national team due to injury in the Ruhr derby two months before the World Cup. Looking back on Marco Royce's national team career, there is no other word to describe this regrettable national team career except regret.
Two-time German Cup champion, but failed to lift the Bundesliga salad plate
Marco Reuss finally lifted his first major trophy and kissed it happily when he beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2017 German Cup final, and he kissed the trophy again in 2021 when he beat RB Leipzig in the German Cup final to lift the second trophy. However, it is certainly not just the German Cup that he and the club want.
At the end of the 33rd round of the 2023 Bundesliga, Dortmund are two points ahead of second-placed Bayern Munich, which is very likely to be their closest to the Bundesliga title in recent years, as long as they can beat Mainz in the final round or Bayern Munich lose to Cologne or even draw, Dortmund will win the Bundesliga title for the first time in 11 years. However, fate played such a trick on people, Dortmund finally drew 2-2 with Mainz, Bayern Munich won the game against Cologne, with 71 points, but with more goal difference than Dortmund, Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga for 11 consecutive years, and Dortmund and Marco Reuss missed the Bundesliga title again.
The story of Prince Dortmund will come to an end for the time being
On the evening of 5/3/2024, Dortmund officially released a message recorded by Marco Reuss to fans, officially announcing that the club will not renew his contract.
Throughout Marco Reus's career journey in Dortmund, loyalty and regret are the adjectives that best represent his 12-year career in Dortmund, he dedicated his youth to Dortmund, even if the team was at its lowest point, when his teammates switched to major European giants one by one, he still chose to stay for the team and fans, even if he couldn't win the first salad plate in his life, but because of his loyalty, his sincerity, he will always be more admired and respected in the yellow and black army.
Marco Reus: "We have a big goal ahead, we want to go to Wembley and we want to bring the Champions League trophy back to Dortmund. ”
Borussia Dortmund made a surprise move from the group of death in this year's Champions League and made it all the way to the last four of the Champions League, and next Wednesday Dortmund will take a 1-0 lead to Paris, hoping to beat PSG and advance to Wembley Stadium in England for the Champions League final.
But Marco Royce's story in Dortmund has a chance to continue
Hans-Joachim Watzke, CEO of Borussia Dortmund: "We very much want him to return to Dortmund at the end of his career, because here in Dortmund there are exciting challenges that await him. ”
Marco Reus's departure after this season's season does not mean that he will quit Dortmund forever, according to Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, Marco Reus still has a chance to return to Dortmund in the future, and the club is ready for a new challenge. We are always waiting for you to come back!