Key player at 17 – Giovanni Reyna: the talented man who took off with Favre – sport

BVB is known for having good young players on its roster. Giovanni Reyna is currently causing a lot of excitement in Dortmund.

17 goals in their first 18 Bundesliga games: Erling Haaland is Dortmund’s guarantee of goals. The Norwegian striker makes headlines in various sports newspapers almost after every BVB appearance. And that with only 20 years. But Haaland is by no means the only gem in the BVB ranks.

Jadon Sancho is also only 20 years old. And then there are the two Jude Bellingham and Giovanni Reyna, 17. The latter in particular really played big recently. Reyna is, so to speak, the “secret” man of the moment with the Dortmunders. Though he’s not (yet) making headlines, the American is already secretly one of BVB’s biggest players. Lucien Favre, who promoted Reyna to the first team last season, knows this too.

Elegance combined with creativity

“I’m not at all surprised by ‘Gio’,” said the Dortmund manager after the clear 4-0 home win against Freiburg on Saturday. Reyna had prepared 3 of the 4 hits, 2 of them for Haaland. “If he keeps working like this, he will face a great career,” added Favre. In the still young Bundesliga season, the Swiss coach trusted the youngster in all 3 matches from the start. Reyna repaid Favre for the trust she placed in him with a goal and 4 assists.

In terms of player type, Reyna resembles one of her idols: Marco Reus. Both prefer to be behind the striker and enjoy their freedom in the offensive midfield to ensure creative moments in the BVB game. Reus has just returned from injury. It remains to be seen if Favre will play Reyna and Reus in the future or if he will rotate.

A stroke of fate lets Reyna grow up early

It is clear that the Dortmund manager thinks Reyna is great. And Favre never tires of expressing it in his own way: “He brings a lot for his age. With him you can tell that he feels football. “

But how is it that a 17-year-old already shows such maturity? In 2012, the England-born Reyna lost her 4-year-old brother Jack, who died of complications from cancer. Giovanni Reyna’s father and former Bundesliga player, Claudio Reyna, sees this tragedy as a reason for his youngest son’s balance: “He carries it with him everywhere. Today he is so old because he had to deal with it. “

The Dortmund shooting star pays tribute to his deceased brother with a tattoo on his forearm. “I love Jack,” he says. It gives Reyna the impetus for great performances on the field. And there will probably be many more in the future.