Giovanni Reyna on Life at Borussia Dortmund & His Ambition to Be Among the Best
Giovanni Reyna has admitted moving to Borussia Dortmund and being away from his family was initially tough. But now settled in Germany, he's intent on become one of the top ten footballers on the planet.
The 18-year-old moved to the Bundesliga club in 2019 to link up with the academy, but having impressed in his short time with the youth side, he made his senior bow in January 2020.
In making his debut, he broke a record previously set by Christian Pulisic to become the youngest American play in the Bundesliga. Speaking on The Players' Tribune, Reyna confessed moving from New York City FC at such a young age was difficult, but that the Dortmund supporters made him feel welcome.
"The hardest part about moving to Germany, though, has been leaving home. I'm a family kid," he said. "Even before I came over I wasn't going out with friends that often. I'd much rather have a night in than a night out. So for the first six months it was very tough living alone.
"Then I saw the fans. Wow. Have you ever seen a Champions League game in Dortmund?"
Reyna has set his sights high as he begins trying to nail down a starting berth. From there, he's aiming to become among the very best in the sport.
American teenager Giovanni Reyna scored his first Bundesliga goal in Borussia Dortmund's match on Saturday.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 19, 2020
At 17 yrs, 311 days old, he's the 2nd-youngest American scorer in the German top flight, trailing only Christian Pulisic, who was 17 years, 211 days when he scored in 2016 pic.twitter.com/ikSUTXuBm7
"I want that to happen at Dortmund. I know I can make that jump this season," he added. "I already feel like I'm becoming part of the new generation of big players. I don't want to become just a good American player. I want to consistently be one of the top ten players in the world.
"One game that I played for Dortmund earlier this year kind of made that goal seem realistic to me. I'm talking about the Champions League game in February, when I was subbed in against Paris Saint Germain.
"When I played that game and got an assist, something just clicked inside my head. Like, Wow, if I stay on this path, I can really become a world-class player. I think that game showed everyone that I'm not just some talent that's going to fade away. I'm here to stay."
You can find the full interview with Gio Reyna on The Players' Tribune.