Marco Reus to leave Borussia Dortmund after 12 years of loyalty

Despite tempting offers from big clubs across the continent throughout his career, Reus has made the decision not to renew his contract and will depart Signal Iduna Park at the end of the season.

In a heartfelt statement, Reus, 34, expressed his gratitude and pride for his time at Borussia Dortmund:

"I am incredibly grateful and proud of this special moment in my club, Borussia Dortmund. I have spent more than half of my life at this club and have enjoyed every day, though, of course, there have been tough moments too. Now, I know it will be difficult to say goodbye at the end of the season, yet I am happy that there is clarity now, and we can fully focus on the very important remaining matches. 

"We have a big goal in sight that we all want to achieve together. To accomplish it, we will need every one of our incredible fans, to whom I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for their amazing support over the years."

Reus epitomizes loyalty and love for the club's colours. Raised in Borussia Dortmund's youth academy, the German forward initially had to depart his beloved team to join the academy of humble RW Ahlen. Gradually, he climbed the ranks until reaching the first team, where he became one of German football's shining stars.

During the 2009-10 season, Borussia Monchengladbach offered a ‚¬1 million to secure his services. Such was his growth that three seasons later, Borussia Dortmund, fresh off their last Bundesliga triumph, brought him back 'home' for ‚¬17 million. Alongside Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski, Jurgen Klopp assembled a formidable attack that reached the Champions League final after a 4-1 victory over Real Madrid in the semifinals. However, they fell short at Wembley against Bayern Munich.

Over the years, despite frequent injury setbacks, Reus's on-field importance diminished. Nevertheless, he earned the right to be a respected voice in the locker room, guiding the younger players who passed through Dortmund over the years. However, true to his character, he knew when to step aside, relinquishing the captaincy earlier in the season and now deciding not to renew his contract.

With 424 appearances for Dortmund, undoubtedly, he is one of the greatest players in recent German football history, crowned Bundesliga's best player thrice (2012, 2014, and 2019). Moreover, he realized his dream of winning titles: two DFB Pokal (2017 and 2021) and three German Supercups (2014, 2015, and 2020).

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