Fate has dealt a cruel hand to Marco Reus, turning him into the "Unlucky Gentleman" of football. Reus's name has become synonymous with the tragedy of a player plagued by frequent injuries throughout his career.
One fateful day on September 17, 2022, during the first Revierderby match between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke in the Bundesliga, the atmosphere at Westfalenstadion turned somber within just 30 minutes. It was during an innocuous tackle on Schalke midfielder Florian Flick that Dortmund's captain, Marco Reus, collapsed onto the field. Gripping his left ankle with his right hand, Reus pounded the ground in pain and despair.
The Dortmund faithful sighed in frustration, with one fan exclaiming, "Again." It seemed as though they were all too familiar with this scene. Reus's injury-riddled record over the past decade paralleled the arduous wait for the Bundesliga championship for the yellow and black-clad team.
Reus's career has been marred by constant interruptions since his move to Dortmund in 2012. This was also a period dominated by Bayern Munich's Bundesliga reign, where they consistently outperformed Dortmund. During this time, Reus suffered a litany of injuries, causing him to miss out on crucial moments. He was notably absent from the German national team's triumphant campaign at the 2014 World Cup due to a torn ankle ligament suffered just before the tournament. Two years later, a pubic injury prevented him from participating in EURO 2016. In 2017, just before the FIFA Confederations Cup, Reus suffered a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury, further frustrating his devoted fans.
In the 2022/23 season, Reus experienced another setback as a ligament injury in his 250th Bundesliga appearance forced him to bid farewell to the 2022 World Cup. As he was stretchered off the field, tears streamed down the talented German midfielder's face.
Fortunately, the severity of the injury was not as dire as initially feared. Seven months later, on May 21, Reus, now 33 years old, made a triumphant return in a match against Augsburg during the 33rd round of the Bundesliga. Bursting through the home defense, he unleashed a smooth shot that goalkeeper Tomas Koubek saved, only for the ball to rebound into the path of Sebastien Haller, who effortlessly tapped it into the net. Dortmund secured their second goal, and the taste of silverware began to linger in the air.
Dortmund now stands on the verge of toppling Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. If they can emerge victorious against Mainz 05 in the final round, it would mark the end of a decade-long championship drought. For Marco Reus, this would be a truly fateful date, an opportunity for the 33-year-old star to finally claim his first national championship title in a career plagued by misfortune.
