Marvin Bakalorz: The Ex-Borussia Dortmund Hopeful Who Injured Marco Reus
Paderborn central midfielder Marvin Bakalorz, a former Borussia Dortmund hopeful, certainly wishes he could take back his brutal tackle on Marco Reus, which caused a lateral ankle ligament rupture.
One careless moment has imperilled Reus' career and will forever haunt Bakalorz.
| Marvin Bakalorz | Germany | CM | 25 | 5'11" | 168 lbs |
| Marco Reus | Germany | LAM/DLF | 25 | 5'11" | 157 lbs |
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It is the 63rd minute and Dortmund centre-forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is in possession with his team leading 2-1 against Paderborn.
Looking to spread play out wide, Aubameyang rushes his pass and the ball is deflected by Paderborn central midfielder Mario Vrancic.
Averaging 1.3 interceptions per game, Reus fleetingly thinks he is in the right place at the right time—it will be a moment he replays ad nauseam during rehabilitation.
Before being able to fully control the ball and cut infield, Reus endures a sudden surge of pain.
Rushing in from the blind side, Bakalorz takes out Reus with a flagrant and wild challenge.
"Marco #Reus muss nach diesem Foul von Marvin #Bakalorz mit der Bahre vom Platz gebracht werden. #SCPBVB https://t.co/4u0SbXxmqf
— Bundesliga Latest (@BL_Latest) November 22, 2014"
Brandishing a yellow card, referee Wolfgang Stark admonishes Bakalorz.
Bobbing up and down with his hands on his head, Bakalorz is shocked at the official's decision.
While Bakalorz is shaking his head in disgust, his teammate Elias Kachunga is consoling Reus, who is curled in a foetal position writhing in agony.
Three minutes pass: Reus is stretchered off the field while Stark is ruminating about the colour of the card he showed Bakalorz, now nervously gritting his teeth.
"When I saw the replay afterwards, I was shocked," Stark said, per Bild (h/t PA Sport via ESPN FC). "I've got to say that a red [card] would have been the right decision."
What Stark did not witness in real time was Bakalorz smashing into Reus' ankle, which bent like an elastic band.
Unlike Stark, his colleague Gunter Perl was front and centre when Bakalorz chopped down Bayer Leverkusen left-back Wendell from behind in a 2-2 draw last month, leading to a routine red card.
The proceeding suspension denied Bakalorz a golden opportunity to one-up his former club Eintracht Frankfurt—a team he left on bad terms.
Emulating his father, Dirk, Bakalorz joined Eintracht Frankfurt from Borussia Dortmund, likely aware successive failures in the Bundesliga would consign him to the 2. Bundesliga or 3. Liga.
Bakalorz must have immediately known things were amiss.
He was not even given a minute to express himself against ex-club Borussia Dortmund, being left on the bench by then-Eintracht Frankfurt manager Armin Veh for a 2-1 defeat.
Leading into the 2014 January transfer window, Bakalorz had played 34 minutes of Bundesliga action for Eintracht Frankfurt.
Rated below Johannes Flum, Marco Russ, Martin Lanig, Pirmin Schwegler and Sebastian Rode on the Eintracht Frankfurt midfield depth chart, Bakalorz was viewed as a squad player.
Likely low on confidence, feeling like an outsider and primed for a January exit, Bakalorz's relationship with Eintracht Frankfurt soured.
Bakalorz's loan to then-2. Bundesliga club Paderborn was later extended into a permanent deal when his contract at Eintracht Frankfurt was "terminated."
"My playing time [under Veh for Eintracht Frankfurt] in the Bundesliga was pretty negligible," Bakalorz said, per Yannik Schmidt at the Bundesliga's official website. "There's not really anything I can [say]."
Promoted to the Bundesliga with Paderborn, any animosity Bakalorz might have felt toward Eintracht Frankfurt was probably suppressed as he was suspended.
His emotions possibly amplified heading into the game against former club Borussia Dortmund.
Reus was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Relishing 50-50 contests, Bakalorz's tackle was one he would certainly regret when he realised the severity of the damage he had done to Reus.
Paderborn manager Andre Breitenreiter insisted Bakalorz did not have malicious intentions.
"Those who know him [Marvin] well know that he loves Dortmund," Breitenreiter said, per dpa. "Marvin was ashen-faced [after the game]. We are all very sorry."
Bakalorz's recklessness was well known; he served six separate suspensions playing for Borussia Dortmund II.
Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp had previously warned Bakalorz to quit following through on opposing players when attempting to win the ball.
"Marvin is a great lad, but that [tackle on Reus] was just too much," Klopp said, per Dortmund's official website. "There are situations [in which Bakalorz] makes sliding tackles without any control. I used to tell him that he shouldn't do that."
Missing 40 percent of tackles for Paderborn, crashing into Wendell and injuring Reus vindicate Klopp's warnings.
Lacking Reus' natural talent, Bakalorz appeared to overcompensate with zeal.
He never possessed the discipline to succeed at Dortmund.
"Klopp screamed at me [for endangering Reus' career]," Bakalorz said, per Reuters (h/t The Observer via The Guardian). "And rightly so."
The collision happened 17 minutes after Reus' well-taken goal (46th minute) and four minutes following Bakalorz's assist for Paderborn defensive midfielder Lukas Rupp (59th minute).
However, the result—a 2-2 draw—has been overshadowed.
This is Reus' fourth injury in five months, and he has now ruptured ligaments in both ankles, per the Bundesliga's official website.
Reus' chronic injuries are reminiscent of former Bayern ace Sebastian Deisler, who "lost all confidence in his own body" and quit, per Raphael Honigstein of The Guardian.
History will remember Bakalorz, who has gone from ex-Dortmund prospect to public enemy No. 1 in the eyes of BVB fans, as the guy who injured Reus.
When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com
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