Gio Reyna: "I want to be one of the top 10 players in the world"
Top American youngster Gio Reyna says he feels ready to become a key player for Borussia Dortmund - and eventually one of the very best in the world.
Reyna has enjoyed 2020 more than most, making his professional debut for Dortmund in January, and earning his first senior cap for his country - as well as a long-term contract - in November.
In February the attacking midfielder got his maiden senior goal - a peach against Werder Bremen in the DFB Cup - and in September he got on the scoresheet in the Bundesliga for the first time.
Far from resting on his laurels after becoming a first-team regular for Dortmund, Reyna insists that the past 12 months are only the start. Having adapted to life in Germany, the son of former USA internationals Claudio Reyna and Danielle Egan is now determined to leave his own mark on the game.
"I've played some big games," he wrote in The Players’ Tribune. "I've come out of my shell. I now demand the ball. I think the time has come for me to become one of the main players on the team.
"You see guys like [Jadon] Sancho and [Erling] Haaland - I want to be at their level. When I was playing for New York City, it was like 'Who is going to change the game for us?' And then they would look to give me the ball.
"I want that to happen at Dortmund. I know I can make that jump this season. 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 10 players in the world."
Watch: Reyna comes from a famous family
Reyna said a last-16 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League in February - when he came on to set up the winning goal for Haaland in Dortmund - had shown both himself and others that he belonged at that level.
"I think that game showed everyone that I'm not just some talent that's going to fade away," he wrote in a wide-ranging piece. "I'm here to stay."
The Dortmund No. 32 has certainly been doing his talking on the pitch this season. Reyna had scored three league goals and made five more by Matchday 12, and added another goal in the DFB Cup for good measure. He has also featured in all six Champions League games so far in 2020/21, helping his team to top their group and set up a last-16 clash with Sevilla in the spring.
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