After a scintillating performance against top three rivals Bayer Leverkusen, 18-year-old Jadon Sancho showed that he can be the star performer for Borussia Dortmund with his first goal in professional football and two assists.
This kind of performance from Sancho, (who was signed from English champions Manchester City for £10m back in the summer), highlights comparisons to another once wonder-kid who Dortmund signed for a large fee back in 2012: Marco Reus.
Quick with and without the ball, good vision to assist team-mates and a deadly eye for goal signifies everything Dortmund fans have seen in Reus for almost 7 years and now after recovering from injury, Sancho will surely be looking for an extended run in the side and reach Reus’ legendary status.
Sancho is also already a record-breaker in the Bundesliga after netting against Leverkusen, becoming the youngest English player to score in the German top-flight.
The Englishman has only started 4 matches in the Bundesliga so far this season but does have a goal and three assists to his name already, which is impressive considering he’s moved to an entirely new country at such a young age.
Reus had a similar prolific contribution to the side when he first joined (or should I say re-joined having come through the youth system at Dortmund), with 14 goals and 3 assists in 32 games.
Sancho himself admitted on his move to Borussia Dortmund: “It was a difficult decision, but the time is right for a new challenge where I can start to fulfil my potential.”
However, the youngster can be anything he wants to be and his performances when he’s played (particularly against Leverkusen) proves that. But it’s imperative that he has good backing of both friends and family and does not get caught up in anything that could damage his career.
The 18-year-old’s parents originate from Trinidad and Tobago, but he grew up in south London, an area of the capital with a high crime rate and relatively few prospects for young adults. As such, Sancho has done exceptionally to make sure his footballing talent provided him with a way out.
Luckily, Sancho had already started to keep his feet on the ground, after the winger joined Watford at the age of seven. In a recent interview with BILD.de, Sancho said: “After school, I always just wanted to play football.
“Around me, a lot of people were doing some bad things, but I didn’t want anything to do with that.”
This shows just how well the young talent has done to overcome these struggles already, with both Dortmund and Sancho’s next test against mid-table Werder Bremen away at the Weser-Stadion next Sunday.
Leverkusen meanwhile, will face VfL Stuttgart at home next Saturday as they look to overcome this disappointing defeat against their top three rivals.
