Marco Reus and Jürgen Klopp still celebrate together four years after their “separation”. The awards for footballer and coach of the year are recognition for outstanding achievements. Dzsenifer Marozsan completed her hat trick.
Once Marco Reus and Jürgen Klopp failed at Borussia Dortmund always shortly before the goal – four years after their “separation” they finally celebrate together. The BVB star Reus is footballer of the year, Klopp coach of the year 2019: “It’s nice that we both still won a title together”, Klopp said after the crowning of a great season for both.
Reus, who conjured 2018/19 without injury at the peak of his career and almost drove the BVB to the championship title, won the vote of the trade magazine kicker for the second time after 2012: “It’s nicer than it was then, a different feeling than seven years ago”, said the noble technician, although the BVB hadn’t won a trophy this year either. “Marco is a player who makes every team in the world better,” sports director Michael Zorc told the SID on Sunday.
With Reus’ 158 votes only Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen/121) was able to keep up. Klopp, Champions-League triumphant with FC Liverpool, was the first foreign coach of the season to win against Friedhelm Funkel of Fortuna Düsseldorf. Dzsenifer Marozsan, triple winner with Olympique Lyon, even managed a hat-trick as Footballer of the Year.
Reus expressly thanked the Borussian medical department with a “huge compliment”, he spoke openly about his pride: “I am now 30 – and will perhaps no longer receive this award so often”. And also because his body is fragile: On Saturday in the test against Udinese Calcio (4:1) Reus had a hard time keeping from attacking his opponents after two borderline hard attacks.
In addition to a long and painful injury history, the noble technician had had to deal with the World Cup debacle in the summer of 2018. This succeeded in an exemplary manner, which also attracted the attention of Joachim Löw: “Marco absolutely deserved the choice. He is very mature, but has not lost his esprit and freshness,” praised the national coach. “He has assumed responsibility as captain at the BVB and is an important contact person for the young players in the national team.
At Klopp’s side, Reus had lost a Champions League final and two Cup finals between 2012 and 2015. Furthermore, the DFB Cup victory in 2017 is the only title in his life, which seems like a joke for a player of his class. But that’s about to change: “Our goal must be to be at the top,” he says, fully in line with BVB’s new, more offensive communication strategy. Win titles and talk about it! So there’s something to celebrate again.
There was plenty for Klopp. The German team manager has been worshipped like a god in Liverpool since his victory over Tottenham Hotspur. For the first time in years, people wouldn’t have said “I’m so sorry for you” when they asked for photos this summer, he said with a smile. He has not yet released the Reds from their master curse – despite the sensational 97 points from 38 games, Manchester City won the Premier League with Pep Guardiola (98).
Dzsenifer Marozsan, on the other hand, was undisputed with Lyon. But then, at the World Cup in her adopted country of France, a lot went wrong. There she wanted to play big, but was stopped by a broken toe, in the quarter-final out she could not do anything after her substitution. National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg nevertheless underlined the extra class of her number 10: “Her footballing quality is beyond question.”
