Giovanni Reyna

Giovanni Reyna: The American Prodigy Seeking a Fresh Start in the Bundesliga

Giovanni Reyna is one of the few international soccer players who has to deal with a lot of legacy. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder was born into a family of American soccer royalty. For most of his young career, he has had to walk the fine line between being very talented and facing a lot of problems. Reyna’s journey has been one of resilience, flair, and untapped potential. He started out with a bang at Borussia Dortmund, then had a tough loan spell in the Premier League, and now he is permanently moving back to the Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach. As the US gets ready for the 2026 World Cup on home soil, everyone is wondering if this “American Dream,” a nickname given to him by Erling Haaland, can finally keep his word.

A Star-Studded Childhood

Giovanni Alejandro Reyna was born on November 13, 2002, in Sunderland, England, where his father, Claudio Reyna, was getting ready to play for the English club. Giovanni came from a great soccer family. His father, Claudio, was a defensive midfielder who led the U.S. men’s national team to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup. His mother, Danielle Egan Reyna, was a forward on the U.S. women’s team. The family moved to Bedford, New York, when Giovanni was just five years old. This put him in the middle of the growing American soccer scene.

Tragedy struck early, though, when Giovanni’s older brother Jack died of brain cancer in 2012 at the age of 13. The loss had a big impact on the family, and Giovanni used his grief to fuel his passion for sports. He joined the New York City FC academy in 2015 and quickly moved up the ranks thanks to his vision, dribbling, and accuracy with his right foot. In 2019, when he was only 16, he made the brave move across the Atlantic to join Borussia Dortmund’s youth team, following in the footsteps of American players like Christian Pulisic. Reyna was already making waves in Germany’s competitive youth leagues. His name comes from Dutch legend Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who was a nod to his father’s time with the Rangers.

Breaking Through at Dortmund: The Good and the Bad

Reyna made his senior debut for Dortmund on January 19, 2020, against Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga. At 17 years and 66 days old, he was the fourth-youngest American to play in Europe’s top five leagues. But it was his first goal that really made him famous: a stunning shot in the DFB-Pokal against Werder Bremen later that year that made him the youngest player ever to score in the competition.

Reyna was crowned in the 2020–21 season. He scored his first goal in the Bundesliga against Borussia Mönchengladbach, got three assists in one game against SC Freiburg (the youngest player to do so in the league), and came off the bench to help Dortmund win the DFB-Pokal. People compared him to Kevin De Bruyne because of how smoothly he passed the ball and how well he could break through defenses. He won the U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year award. He wore the famous No. 7 shirt that legends like Jadon Sancho used to wear off the field.

But injuries were always there for Reyna. He hurt his calf early in 2020, and then a series of hamstring and ankle problems kept him out of most of the 2021–22 season. He came back to play a few times in 2022–23, scoring seven Bundesliga goals, many of which were as a substitute. He scored the game-winning goals against Augsburg and Mainz and had the second-best minutes-per-goal ratio in Europe’s top leagues, behind Haaland. The 2023–24 season brought a contract extension until 2026, but it was also frustrating because he only played 11 league games before going on loan to Nottingham Forest in January 2024. He got one assist in ten Premier League games there, but he didn’t play much and had trouble adjusting.

Reyna only played in 13 games for Dortmund in 2024–25 (341 league minutes, two goals, one assist), which led to his €7 million move to Mönchengladbach on August 23, 2025. Mönchengladbach is a club with a long history and a need for creativity. Reyna said the move was a “fresh start” to get his love for the game back. He signed a contract until 2028.

International Heroics: Flying the Flag for the U.S.

There was never any doubt about Reyna’s international path, even though Portugal, England, and Argentina were all interested. He said in a 2020 interview with Sports Illustrated, “I only want to play for the United States.” That’s where I live. He scored 16 goals in 31 games for U-15 to U-17 teams in the U.S.

He made his senior debut against Wales in November 2020 and scored a goal the next day against Panama. Reyna has since become a key player in the CONCACAF Nations League, winning the tournament in 2021, 2023, and 2024. He scored the winning goal in the 2021 final against Mexico, assisted on two goals in 2023 (earning Man of the Match), and did it again in 2024 as tournament MVP and Best XI selection. Other highlights are two goals against Ghana in 2023 and one goal against Paraguay in 2025.

The 2022 World Cup was a mix of good and bad. Reyna only played 52 minutes in four games because of reported attitude problems. He later apologized publicly for his “poor attitude.” In World Cup qualifying, he had a memorable moment when he dribbled past six Mexican defenders in a run that was very similar to Maradona’s. Reyna is still a key player for the U.S. team that wants to win the World Cup. He has 34 senior caps and 9 goals as of November 2025.

Problems and Recent Form: Gladbach’s Slow Burn

Reyna’s market value of €7 million shows that his career has been put on hold by injuries (he’s missed more than 18 months since 2021) and inconsistent playing time. His start at Mönchengladbach hasn’t been great: he’s played in 9 Bundesliga games without scoring or assisting. However, he has had some good moments, like when he came off the bench against Mainz on December 5, 2025, and got a 7.3 rating for his performance, which included a key pass and contributions on defense. Fans and experts have joked about his “missing” status on the field, and one X post complained about how hard it is to find him when he has the ball. But a recent start in the DFB-Pokal against St. Pauli on December 2 shows that coach Gerardo Seoane is starting to trust him more. Reyna’s net worth is around £10 million ($12.5 million) off the field, thanks to endorsements from Adidas, PlayStation, and Qatar Airways. He is 6’1″ tall and weighs 157 pounds, and he is still a right-footed wizard who commits 1.23 fouls per 90 minutes, which shows how tough he is.

The Road to 2026: A Legacy in the Making

Giovanni Reyna is no longer the wide-eyed prodigy he was at 23. He is now a battle-tested talent with Golden Boy and Kopa Trophy wins. His move to Mönchengladbach, where he will play with fellow American Joe Scally, gives him a chance to get to know the team and play in a mid-table team. Reyna’s story isn’t over yet, even though X users are buzzing about his chances of playing with stars like Florian Wirtz in the 2026 World Cup. If he can get over his injuries and tap into his family’s fighting spirit, this American star could still shine on the world stage and in the Bundesliga. In the cold December air of Borussia-Park, Reyna is changing his story one key pass at a time.