Marco Reus Bio
Marco Reus is a German professional footballer born on May 31, 1989, in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. He plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy, where he wears the number 18 shirt. Across a senior career that began in 2006, Reus has played for Rot Weiss Ahlen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Borussia Dortmund before completing a long-anticipated move to the United States in 2024.
Reus is widely regarded as one of the most prolific midfielders of his era, amassing more than 200 career goals and serving as Borussia Dortmund captain from 2018 to 2023. He lifted the MLS Cup with LA Galaxy in December 2024, marking his first league title at the professional level.
Early Life and Background
Marco Reus was born in Dortmund, a city in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of West Germany, and grew up immersed in the local football culture. He is named after the Dutch legend Marco van Basten, as his parents had originally planned to name him Dennis but changed their minds after Van Basten scored his famous volley in the Euro 1988 final. That nod to an attacking great would foreshadow Reus’s own career as a creative forward.
Reus began playing organized football at Post SV Dortmund in 1994, before joining the youth ranks of hometown powerhouse Borussia Dortmund in 1996. He spent a decade developing through Dortmund’s academy system, learning the demanding style that would later shape his two-touch passing, timing, and finishing on either foot.
Outside of football, Reus has spoken about his interest in aviation, noting that if he were not a professional footballer he would likely pursue a career as a pilot. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his wife Scarlett donated €500,000 to people and small businesses in need in Dortmund.
Path to Soccer
Reus left Borussia Dortmund’s youth setup in the summer of 2006 to join Rot Weiss Ahlen, where he initially featured for the reserve team in the Westphalia league. He broke into Ahlen’s first team during the 2007–08 season, scoring on the final matchday to help the club earn promotion to the 2. Bundesliga. The following year, at age 19, he made his professional breakthrough with 27 appearances and four goals in Germany’s second tier.
On 25 May 2009, Reus signed a four-year contract with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach, taking the number 11 shirt. He scored his first Bundesliga goal on 28 August 2009 against Mainz 05 after a 50-metre solo run, and quickly became a prolific scorer under coach Lucien Favre. In 2011–12, he registered 18 goals and 12 assists in the Bundesliga, lifting Mönchengladbach into the following season’s UEFA Champions League.
That breakthrough season drew the attention of his hometown club, and on 4 January 2012, Reus agreed to return to Borussia Dortmund for a €17.1 million transfer fee on a five-year deal, officially re-joining on 1 July 2012.
Marco Reus Career
Early Career (2006–2009)
Reus spent his first two senior seasons at Rot Weiss Ahlen, transitioning from the Westphalia reserve league to the 2. Bundesliga. His first campaign featured six appearances for the reserve side and an immediate scoring touch, with a goal in each of his first two outings. The following year, he established himself in the senior squad, recording 16 appearances and one goal, including the decisive strike on the final matchday that secured promotion.
In 2008–09, still only 19, Reus produced his first sustained professional form, playing 27 matches and scoring four goals in the 2. Bundesliga. That season convinced Borussia Mönchengladbach to sign him, and he wore the number 18 shirt for Ahlen in what would be the number he later adopted again at LA Galaxy.
Borussia Mönchengladbach Breakthrough (2009–2012)
Reus arrived at Borussia Mönchengladbach in May 2009 and quickly adapted to Bundesliga football. His first Bundesliga goal came on 28 August 2009 against Mainz 05, the result of a 50-metre solo run, and he added his first Bundesliga brace in August 2010 against the same opponent. Under Lucien Favre, Reus developed into a consistent attacking threat operating behind the striker.
The 2011–12 season was his defining year at the club. Reus opened the campaign with 10 goals in his first 13 league matches, including his first Bundesliga hat-trick in a 5–0 win over Werder Bremen on 19 November 2011. He finished the season with 18 goals and 12 assists in the Bundesliga, helping Mönchengladbach qualify for the Champions League and earning recognition as one of Germany’s most exciting young attackers.
Borussia Dortmund Era (2012–2024)
Reus re-joined Borussia Dortmund in July 2012 and scored on his league debut in a 2–1 win over Werder Bremen on 24 August. Within months he was delivering on the Champions League stage, opening the scoring in a 1–1 draw away to Manchester City in October and then netting a spectacular volley against Iker Casillas in a 2–2 draw at Real Madrid. By February 2013, he had recorded a hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt, and in April he scored a vital injury-time goal in the famous comeback against Málaga in the Champions League quarter-finals. Dortmund went on to reach the 2013 Champions League final at Wembley, where Reus won a penalty that İlkay Gündoğan converted, but Bayern Munich lifted the trophy.
The following years brought both silverware and frustration. Reus won the DFL-Supercup in 2013 and 2019, the DFB-Pokal in 2017 and 2021, and reached a second Champions League final in 2024, again losing to Real Madrid at Wembley. He finished Bundesliga runner-up seven times during his 12-year stint, served as club captain from 2018 to 2023, and scored 170 goals with 132 assists for Dortmund across all competitions. He also became one of only three players, after Andreas Möller and Thomas Müller, to record 100 Bundesliga goals and 100 Bundesliga assists.
Driving Style and Strengths
Reus is widely recognized for his versatility, speed, agility, technical skill, and shooting ability with both feet in open play. He favors the left wing, where he can cut inside onto his stronger right foot, but has also been deployed as a second striker, a central striker, and a number 10. Beyond his attacking movement, he is regarded as a precise passer with strong vision, which allows him to create chances for teammates as well as score himself. He was twice named German Footballer of the Year and won Bundesliga Player of the Season three times.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Reus’s signature moments are his injury-time goal against Málaga in April 2013, his volley against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, and his brace in Der Klassiker against Bayern Munich in November 2018 that kept Dortmund top of the Bundesliga. He also reached 100 Bundesliga goals with Dortmund in 2018, became Dortmund’s all-time Champions League top scorer with 18 goals, and played his 400th match for the club in Der Klassiker in November 2023. His career was, however, repeatedly interrupted by injuries that cost him the 2010, 2014, and 2022 World Cups as well as the 2016 and 2020 European Championships.
Marco Reus Career Wins
Across his club career, Marco Reus has collected major trophies with Borussia Dortmund and LA Galaxy, including two DFB-Pokal titles, two DFL-Supercups, and the 2024 MLS Cup. He has also recorded deep runs in the UEFA Champions League, reaching the final in 2013 and again in his final season with Dortmund in 2024.
DFL-Supercup and DFB-Pokal Highlights
Reus won the DFL-Supercup with Borussia Dortmund in 2013, scoring twice in a 4–2 victory over Bayern Munich, and added a second Supercup in 2019 with a 2–0 win against the same rival. His first DFB-Pokal title came in 2017, although he was substituted at halftime of the final with a partial cruciate ligament tear, and his second arrived in 2021 with a 4–1 win over RB Leipzig in which he contributed to all four goals.
LA Galaxy Highlights
Reus signed for LA Galaxy in August 2024 on a contract through the end of 2026 and made an immediate impact, scoring and assisting on his debut against Atlanta United on 24 August. On 7 December 2024, he started as the Galaxy beat the New York Red Bulls 2–1 to win the MLS Cup, his first professional league title. He finished his first MLS season with 11 appearances, one goal, and three assists.
Marco Reus Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Reus was raised in Dortmund in a family that encouraged his early interest in football, which he first played at local club Post SV Dortmund before entering the Borussia Dortmund academy. His given name reflects the family’s admiration for Dutch football, as his parents chose to name him after Marco van Basten after watching his famous Euro 1988 volley.
Personal Life
Reus began dating German model Scarlett Gartmann in December 2015, and the couple married later in 2019 after the birth of their first daughter in March 2019. They welcomed their second child, another daughter, in January 2024. The family has also been active in charitable work in Dortmund, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season is Marco Reus’s first full MLS campaign with LA Galaxy after joining the club mid-season in 2024. Building on the momentum of the December 2024 MLS Cup triumph, he enters the year as an established veteran presence in a young Galaxy squad looking to defend its title. His experience in Bundesliga title races and Champions League knockout football is expected to inform Galaxy’s approach to a longer domestic calendar.
Reus’s primary objective will be to stay healthy and add to his goal contributions after a measured debut season of 11 appearances, one goal, and three assists. With his contract running through the end of 2026, both player and club have aligned timelines to invest in regular playing time and leadership on and off the pitch.
Galaxy’s competitive picture will likely rotate around Reus as a creative hub, with the attacking midfielder tasked with linking midfield and forward lines while mentoring emerging MLS talents. Strong performances in 2025 could reinforce Reus’s case for one more international recall, even as he focuses primarily on cementing his legacy in Major League Soccer.
