One last beautiful moment celebrating the unbreakable bond between the legendary midfielder and Borussia Dortmund’s passionate fans.
How did Marco Reus really feel when “The Yellow Wall” unfurled a breathtaking tribute, which the footballer sincerely thanked them for on Instagram, ahead of his last home game after 12 seasons at Borussia Dortmund (BVB)? Fans featured the attacking midfielder’s number 11 jersey on the pulsating yellow and black wall they erected with the message “Danke Marco!” (Thank you Marco in English); mirroring heartfelt stickers stuck on lamp posts around the city. “Goosebumps,” the 34-year-old replies in German (which we translated) during his SoccerBible x Puma shoot a few days later. “Pride that the lads put something like this together for one player combined with a lot of emotion and gratitude.” Reus’ significance to the fans cannot be overstated given his unwavering loyalty, rare in the age of so-called “mercenary” footballers, and a connection to the club that’s strong enough for Signal Iduna Park to be considered his “living room”.
Reus was on fire before he was subbed off in the 82nd minute and given a guard of honour by his teammates – assisting the opener before scoring a stunning free kick as die Schwarzgelben beat Darmstadt 4-0 in the Bundesliga. “That was the icing on the cake, everything somehow fell into place, it was even a bit cheesy to score once more,” he reflects. “I've already said that it was an all-round successful day, and the fact that I managed to score again like that made me all the happier.” Next up is Borussia Dortmund’s do-or-die shot at Champions League glory against Real Madrid in the final at Wembley tomorrow: a full circle milestone for Reus who lost the same game at the same location in 2013 to Bayern Munich. It’s also the footballer’s last dance, a curtain call on the biggest European stage to further cement his legacy. The juicy cherry on top of an incredible club career spanning 294 appearances, 120 goals, three DFL-Supercups and one DFB-Pokal.
Arriving early on set in full kit fresh from training, Reus smiles when he sees the outlandish yellow and black dinner scene that SoccerBible has set up. Themed drinks ready to toast everyone who got him to this point and the BVB fans yet again, after publicly buying them a round of thank you pints. “I've grown up here, I came here as a child and have matured here, both as a person and as a player,” he stresses. “And yes, I'm just proud that I've managed to stay here for so long and I've met a lot of friends here, a lot of close friends. And it's just a great feeling that something like this is still possible in the business these days, so of course I enjoyed my time here.” Relaxed in a black suit and Puma sneakers with Borussia Dortmund’s 23/24 third jersey underneath, the 34-year-old has the chance to have his cake and eat it. That marvellous lemon creation is also an early birthday cake – Reus turns 35 today – and eventually wrecked by a football.
Is it surprising to learn that Reus’ teammates would describe him as “always up for a bit of fun?” Not really as he is completely at home lounging and larking around with the food on camera. The Dortmund-born footballer first played for Borussia Dortmund between 1995 and 2005 then returned home in 2012 after spells at Rot Weiss Ahlen and Borussia Mönchengladbach.“The [highlights] of course were the Cup victories, personally becoming Germany's Footballer of the Year twice, and a few Champions League or Bundesliga games where there was a lot of pressure to win,” he adds. Puma has joined the athlete on every kick of his Dortmund journey and they’ve created some pretty special boot combinations. “I generally just like white shoes, I'm not in favour of black ones because you always feel like you're a bit slower on the move and a bit sluggish," he adds. “In 2014, we had the Tricks pack which I loved.”
“That was the icing on the cake, everything somehow fell into place, it was even a bit cheesy to score once more. I've already said that it was an all-round successful day, and the fact that I managed to score again like that made me all the happier.”
Well-versed in unlocking defences and bouncing back from injuries that have limited his international career to 48 appearances and 15 goals , Reus’s mental strength is second to none. “I think everyone is in a different position, but I always looked ahead, always tried to stay positive, always believed in myself and simply had a good environment around me to push things forward,” he shares. “Of course, you also need the strength to come back well, because every injury is obviously not good for your mental health, but I've always managed to be mentally on top of things and I've worked on it accordingly.” The advice Reus would give to his younger self is sensible: “Maybe enjoy the time you have a bit more. You always think 15 years is extremely long but it can also be very, very short and so I would tell him to enjoy the time with the boys a bit more because in the end, that's also your second family. Sometimes you see them more than your own, so I could perhaps have enjoyed it a bit more, but otherwise, I'm very happy.”
There’s unmistakable flair to Reus’ footwork, supreme confidence in the way the footballer passes through the lines, and he acknowledges that the creative scene is moving goalposts on and off the pitch. “Somehow you move with the times, things change, and you have to adapt accordingly and be open to new things. I've always accepted that and been honest about my opinion, so that's completely fine with me and it's part of the job or the business.” When expressing himself through fashion, the German skews classic and “comfortable”. Breaking up the on-pitch highs that Reus shares with his 15.7million Instagram followers are glimpses of his off-duty style and the BVB capsule collection he inspired. “I choose my own clothes and try to find my own style. I've actually found it, but I think you just have to be open to new things,” he says. Think clean lines and tonal separates. “I don't make a difference whether we're training or not.” The footballer doesn’t rule out a clothing line with his Puma family and launched Repeat By Reus vitamin water in 2022.
“I've grown up here, I came here as a child and have matured here, both as a person and as a player. And yes, I'm just proud that I've managed to stay here for so long and I've met a lot of friends here, a lot of close friends. And it's just a great feeling that something like this is still possible in the business these days, so of course I enjoyed my time here.”
As the SoccerBible shoot wraps up, Reus politely declines a request to put on a Champions League winner t-shirt for an asset that preempts his desired result. That’s not to say he isn’t “very confident”of beating Real Madrid to win BVB’s second European title, and potentially following up his most recent tattoo for his daughter with something to commemorate his time in yellow and black; maybe instead that the accolade hasn’t yet been earned. “Pressure in football is normal anyway. Of course, when you're playing in the Champions League final it's something else, but it's just the anticipation of the game itself,” Reus admits. “You know that a lot of people are watching, a lot of Dortmund fans are rooting for us and so it's just time for me personally and for the team to just enjoy it. To just be there in the moment and try to give everything so that we can bring the trophy back to Dortmund.”
“You know that a lot of people are watching, a lot of Dortmund fans are rooting for us and so it's just time for me personally and for the team to just enjoy it. To just be there in the moment and try to give everything so that we can bring the trophy back to Dortmund.”
Photography by Lukas Mengeler and Pete Martin
Styling by Cal Mac
