Borussia Dortmund were able to secure a vital Champions League victory against Atalanta Bergamo last night in part thanks to a mature performance from young defender Luca Reggiani. The 18-year-old Italian centre-back played for his Bundesliga club from the start for the very first time. The Italy U17 international helped Dortmund keep a clean sheet. BVB head coach Niko Kovac and club sporting director Sebastian Kehl find themselves very impressed.
Reggiani recently made his Bundesliga debut 11 days ago. After featuring as a very late sub in a league win over Wolfsburg, Reggiani played the entire second half of last Friday night’s league victory over Mainz. The former US Sassuolo academy man joined the Dortmund U17s for a modest transfer fee in February 2024. The defender jumped to the Dortmund pros from the BVB U19s, bypassing the reserve side entirely.
Borussia Dortmund U19 coach praises Reggiani
In between his two Bundesliga appearances, Reggiani also featured for the U19s as a starter in a big youth league win. Reggiani’s U19 coach Felix Hirschnagl isn’t surprised at the teenager’s resilience and ability to make the leap to the next level. In an interview with Kicker, Hirschnagl expressed confidence that Reggiani will continue to make great strides.
“Reggiani is getting better and better every week,” Hirschnagl told Kicker. “After a difficult start due to his knee injury, he has now become an absolute leader. He earned his professional debut thanks to his attitude and hard work. He”s quite the warrior.“
Kovac and Kehl praise Luca Reggiani
Niko Kovac – speaking at his post-match press conference last Friday night – noted that he was ready to call upon the youngster more often, remarking that Reggiani’s 45 minutes of work constituted a “great debut“. Kehl raved about Reggiani’s performance in the mixed zone last night.
“I told him [before the match] to savor this special moment,” Kovac said last Friday. “He did really well. It makes me happy when young players possessing such great quality are rewarded.“
“He really did well keeping his nerves in check,” Kehl said. “He got what I think was a harsh yellow card [in the 18th-minute]. But I think he handled himself very maturely, particularly in the second half. He kept it simple and did his job.“
