Bundesliga - Gladbach shooting star Reitz: "Living a dream right now"
"Against modern football" was written on a large poster in the Borussia Mönchengladbach fan curve. The double S was formed by dollar signs - an expression of the fans' rejection of the planned investor deal of the German Football League.
But there are still fairytale stories in modern soccer. U21 international Rocco Reitz 's fantastic half-season is one such story.
Club member since birth
In Borussia's 2:2 (1:1) draw against Werder Bremen, this culminated in the first Bundesliga brace (45th minute/49th) from Gladbach's high-flyer. "We can be proud to have such a youngster with us. We're delighted that such a home-grown talent has delivered such a performance," said Borussia's sporting director Roland Virkus after the match, in which Reitz only failed to become the match-winner because Gladbach's defense allowed itself to suffer individual weaknesses at two crucial moments.
But when the former Borussia youth coach spoke about his long-time protégé, Virkus ' eyes lit up. Like so many Borussia fans, who finally have a real identification figure again. "So far, the year has been incredible," Reitz himself said on DAZN when asked about his season so far. "If you think back over the whole time, I'm living a dream right now, definitely."
Reitz has been a member of Borussia since birth and has played for the club since the age of seven. "The love for this club is just as huge as the love for soccer - it doesn't get any bigger than that," said Reitz, who used to be a run-in child and a regular fan at the stadium with his father. The fact that one of them has become an integral part of the Gladbach starting line-up and is now the driving force in midfield is a source of delight for the fans.
Like the young Matthäus or Effenberg
"I think the boy has to digest it first," said Virkus and is therefore glad that there will be a break to reflect after the last game of the year next Wednesday at Eintracht Frankfurt. The shooting star has already been dubbed the "Messi of the Lower Rhine" due to his performances to date, which is also a little strange given Reitz's style of play. Reitz's spirited and dynamic appearance on the pitch is more reminiscent of other Borussia greats in their younger years: Lothar Matthäus or Stefan Effenberg.
"He has many of the things we needed in our squad. He's very poisonous, very aggressive, incredibly hard-working and still a very good footballer," praised Virkus. "The boy is totally professional. He always prepares excellently for the games, but also after."
When Reitz was not quite confident of regular playing time in Mönchengladbach in the summer after a two-year loan to Belgian first division club VV St. Truiden, Virkus already had a premonition for the upcoming season: "There were already signs in the training camp that the boy could take off this season." He was right.
He was right. The home-grown talent played in all 15 games this season, scoring four goals in the league and was voted player of the month by the fans in September, October and November. To say that he made the most of the opportunity given to him by new head coach Gerardo Seoane is almost an understatement.
From the U21s to Julian Nagelsmann?
"Maybe we'll even go up a little bit," Virkus said. The home European Championships are coming up in the summer. U21 national coach Antonio Di Salvo is already full of praise. "He impresses me," said Di Salvo. "Rocco is currently starting every game in Gladbach, he always wants the ball and isn't afraid to be played on in tight situations." Reitz also took his chance with him. He also scored a brace in his first game in November.
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Source: www.stern.de
