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Opinion: Jadon Sancho is at home in Dortmund

October 27, 2018

The Bundesliga has always been a league where young players get the chance to flourish, and right now one is blossoming in Dortmund. DW's Matt Ford thinks Jadon Sancho has found the right club.

https://p.dw.com/p/37Gxj
Fußball Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund - Hertha BSC
Image: Reuters/L. Kuegeler

Lurking in the six-yard box just in front of the famous Yellow Wall, Jadon Sancho didn't really need to touch it.

Achraf Hakimi's clever pass had evaded Marco Reus and fooled the goalkeeper, and the ball was probably rolling over the line anyway. But Sancho still tapped it in, just to make sure.

It was the Englishman's second goal of the afternoon and it put Borussia Dortmund ahead in a game they would eventually draw.

But the goal also meant Sancho became the first player born this millennium to score a Bundesliga brace, and the second-youngest foreign player to achieve the feat since Heung-Min Son did so for Hamburg back in 2010.

With five goals and eight assists in all competitions this season, including his first Champions League goal against Atletico Madrid in the week, Sancho has played an indisputably pivotal role in Dortmund's electric start to the campaign. After showing promise at the end of last season, Sancho is now delivering on that promise - regularly.

Matt Ford Kommentarbild
DW's Matt Ford

Predominantly a provider, Sancho's skill in reading the game has seen him impress all over the pitch. Whether taking a long ball into his stride at full pace against RB Leipzig on matchday one or combining with Marco Reus on the counterattack against Bayer Leverkusen on matchday six, Sancho is a game-changer for Dortmund.

Now he's adding goals too – three in three to be precise. And he could have had a first career hat-trick on Saturday too, had a magnificent back-heel flick not been ruled out for an offside in the build-up. The teenager is full of confidence, and watching him play is as much fun as it seems playing is to him.

It is clear that Sancho feels at home at Borussia Dortmund. After the first goal, he kissed the badge on his shirt, and when he was subbed off deafening chants of "Jadon Sancho!" rang out from the hardcore supporters on the Südtribüne.

No wonder he couldn't resist tapping it in.