Marco Reus’ farewell from Dortmund was tearful. After a few weeks’ break, it seems clear where the former international player is headed.
Reus and Messi rarely met in the Champions League. – Marius Becker/dpa
Marco Reus went on holiday. The last pictures that the long-time star player of Borussia Dortmund shared with his millions of fans on social media show the 35-year-old by the sea, on a yacht and with his family. But the former international player is far from having enough of professional football: his signing with the Los Angeles Galaxy in the USA is imminent. Reus is moving into Lionel Messi’s league.
“Here we go,” wrote transfer expert Fabrizio Romano at X – the Italian has now made this announcement a trademark in the hectic transfer business for things that actually happen. Reus is said to have received a contract until December 2025 plus an option to extend and will fly to the USA “in the coming days.”
No desire to end my career
“A new adventure awaits me,” said the fan favorite shortly after Dortmund lost the Champions League final last June. His contract with BVB expired in the summer, and the farewell on the last Bundesliga matchday of the 2023/24 season was emotional and tearful. Reus’ announcement: “Take care, we’ll see each other again!”
But that won’t happen anytime soon. The US league, which has grown over decades and in which stars like David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic had ended their careers before Messi, usually plays in the European night. The so-called Leagues Cup is currently underway, and unlike in Germany, the season does not start in the summer, but at the beginning of the year. The Galaxy are currently leading the Western Conference.
League officials hoped that the sensational move of eight-time world footballer Messi to Inter Miami last year would give Major League Soccer a significant boost in popularity. Reus on the west coast and Messi on the east coast of the USA will then be separated by almost 4,500 kilometers. Both have sun, sand and sea as a bonus in what is supposed to be the final phase of their careers.
Arrival with advance praise
LA coach Greg Vanney recently spoke highly of Reus and the possible transfer: “A player with his profile brings experience, quality and versatility, as well as a winning mentality, a championship mentality. These kinds of things are always good for teams.” The Galaxy squad does not have any really big names; the Spaniard Riqui Puig and the Serbian Dejan Joveljic, who once played for Eintracht Frankfurt, are probably the best known names.
Reus would be the star of the team. The “Designated Player rule”, a special rule for supposedly particularly valuable and therefore more expensive players, allows MLS teams to have up to three professionals in their squad who are not bound by the current salary cap of the other professionals.
“I don’t think he’s finished yet,” said former BVB coach Edin Terzic about Reus. The former Borussia captain missed the chance to leave Dortmund with a title, and injuries had repeatedly prevented the 35-year-old from winning greater honours in recent years. The offensive player missed the 2014 World Cup and the title because of an injury in the last friendly match.
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Eintracht FrankfurtMajor League SoccerWestern ConferenceZlatan IbrahimovicLos Angeles GalaxyBVBDavid BeckhamLionel MessiBundesligaMarco ReusTrainerLiga
