Reus emotional after latest league win, expresses hope to return to Wembley
The 34-year-old insisted that - for him and his team - the goal remained returning to Wembley Stadium, the venue at which his team lost the Champions' League Final against Bayern 11 years ago.
| Photo: Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 4.0 |
Dortmund and German footballing legend Marco Reus was given a deserved standing ovation by the Signal Iduna crowd on Saturday afternoon. The 34-year-old pocketed two assists and scored a goal in the BVB's 5-1 drubbing of FC Augsburg. Reus got emotional when discussing the curtain-call his teammates encouraged him to take after being subbed off in the 66th-minute.
"Indescribable. There's no substitute for the lads calling you forward," Reus noting when speaking to the Sky mics after the full-time whistle, "I'm incredibly grateful. I have no words."
It was confirmed this week that Reus' expiring contract would not be renewed. That translates to the end of the trail for the Dortmund-native who, after departing the youth academy in 2006, returned to don the yellow-black tricot for twelve years.
As for what comes next, the veteran did insist that he wished to continue his playing career after the season concludes. The German national team veteran, unfortunately injured twice just prior to major tournaments including the 2014 World Cup, isn't one to jet for the Arabian Peninsula.
"I'm always happy to remain on the pitch," Reus said, "obviously I want to keep playing. That's something I'll decide upon in the next few weeks."
BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl - also conducting a post-match interview with Sky - noted that Reus was "one of the best players this club had ever produced".
Reus' loyalty to Dortmund is considered something of an anomaly in German football, particularly during Bayern's 11-year-stranglehold on the title. Most BVB players usually switched to the German record champs. He will depart Dortmund having never won the Meisterschale
Reus was able to win the DFB Pokal with Dortmund twice and bested his nemesis Bayern twice in the DFL Super Cup. It can still be presumed that Reus will never forget the time his team wasn't able to best the German giants at the Champions' League Final at Wembley in 2013.
He may get another chance at the very same venue.
"I hope to see you at Wembley on June 1st and hopefully have even more reason to celebrate," Reus said, "We have a huge opportunity on Tuesday. Wembley would be a wonderful finale."