Borussia Dortmund have more latterly been recognised as the team nipping at the heels of Bayern Munich. Despite their best efforts to thwart the running champions, Dortmund often don’t quite manage to hit the mark. However, irrespective of their finishing place on the Bundesliga table, Dortmund do possess something special: the ability to nurture and produce some of Germany’s and, thus, the world’s most dazzling players. Three major names spring to mind: Marco Reus, Robert Lewandowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Borussia Dortmund’s Player Development Key to Success
Presently, Borussia Dortmund are second, and have oftentimes landed this comfortable spot come the end of a season. During their history, though, many a title has been won, including prestigious Bundesliga glory, DFB-Pokals and a Champions League; despite always challenging on the ball, they ought to have more trophies in their cabinet. So, the side really have enjoyed rich progress in the German divisions and upper echelons of European football. However, some of the players have stood out as integral members of the team, arguably fusing the real progress of the club almost single-footedly.
Marco Reus has been one of Borussia Dortmund’s most influential players. The versatile 26-year-old has been renowned for his wondrous speed and attacking prowess, but has been flying under the radar somewhat in recent months. In 11 games during this season, Reus has found the net on seven occasions (as charted by Goal.com), making him still something of an asset, though. However, despite a less intense current spell with Dortmund, Reus really was remarkable a number of years ago. Since 2012, Reus has been a talented member of the Dortmund starting eleven, and was a player that soon marked his territory at Westfalenstadion. It was then that he started to make waves, sinking his teeth into the Champions League, bagging an equalising goal against Manchester City. Back in 2013, he was also responsible for the hoisting of the DFL-Supercup, after whipping in two goals against title rivals, Bayern Munich, in their 4-2 win.
Reus then became a bit of a national team favourite, donning a German jersey regularly, and generally wowing the crowds. Despite his latter success after penning with Dortmund, and his more relatively recent contract renewal, the current term has not been quite as glistening for Reus. However, this is due to one specific fellow teammate outshining almost every major footballer out there. Regardless, though, Reus was well matched before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bounced onto the scene; Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski was enough threat to German teams that Bayern Munich made a successful bid for him.
Poland’s machine, Robert Lewandowski, used to also be Borussia Dortmund’s trump card. Although he jettisoned his position with the black and yellow BVBs, Bayern’s number nine as of 2014 was a formidable force under Jürgen Klopp. His time at Signal Iduna Park was another of rapid, unfathomable form, and propelled his name into pockets around the globe that earned him some further respect on the field. His striking ability was magnetic back then; his boots would just snap the ball towards the goal and Dortmund’s tally would simply increase and increase.
Nowadays, Lewandowski resides at the Allianz, helping former title enemies to boost their already solid reputation in the Bundesliga and around Germany. His skills have really come through for Bayern as well; back in September, Lewandowski set a new Bundesliga record, snatching five goals in a mere eight minutes, 59 seconds (via ESPN). As the Polish striker was only brought on as a substitute, his speedy goals against Wolfsburg saved a flagging Bayern from a grim 1-0 defeat, instead stealing his side a 5-1 victory. These five goals also awarded Lewandowski the further record of fastest succession of goals since Opta Sports began jotting down players’ on-pitch achievements, which is another very decent feat.
So, it’s clear that both Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski boosted the image of Borussia Dortmund, but, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now El Capitán of goals for BVB, the team is by no stretch suffering, despite the saddening departure of managing whiz, Jürgen Klopp. No, in fact it’s virtually the opposite; Dortmund’s Facebook page released earlier that Aubameyang has scored 17 goals in the initial 14 games, which has only ever been rivalled by German legend, Gerd Müller, back in the 1976/77 season, who had netted 19 by the same stage of the term. Impressive indeed. Aubameyang is also the chap who, along with Marco Reus, assumed Batman and Robin costumes, respectively, after grasping a 3-0 derby win against Schalke last season, so he certainly hasn’t gone undetected.
Across all competitions this term, Aubameyang has hooked the ball into the back of the net on 25 occasions and, if you’re somehow unfamiliar, a quick Google of his goals will take you on a truly enthralling YouTube journey across all of his staggering shots. The 26-year-old centre-forward is captivating on the field, with a growing Instagram and social media presence, which will dredge up all sorts of fashionable clothing-clad photos and banter-worthy snapshots of fellow teammates. Similarly to his expectation-obliterating predecessors, the sturdy attacker will no doubt be on many a manager’s list of prospective bids come the next transfer window, though he surely won’t be for sale.
These three players have excelled in Borussia Dortmund jerseys, with two of which still going strong on Signal Iduna soil. Marco Reus might be slightly flailing, whilst Robert Lewandowski is marching forth with Bayern Munich, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is in crushing form for Thomas Tuchel’s club. Granted, Borussia Dortmund might generally take home the silverware, but Aubameyang, the third fellow in this small summary, could be the game-changer this season.
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