'Playing here is a dream' - Reus pledges future to boyhood heroes Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus has underlined his commitment to the Bundesliga giants after extending his link to Signal Iduna Park for another five years. 

Reus, 28, grew up in the Dortmund academy before spending time at lower-league Rot Weiss Ahlen and subsequently Borussia Monchengladbach. 

He then moved back to BVB in 2012, and to date has hit 95 goals in 195 games for the club. 

Last week the forward signed a new contract that will expire in 2023, and despite attracting interest from the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal he insists there is only one place in which he can see himself playing.

"I was born in Dortmund and grew up here, so you become automatically a black and yellow," he explained to Goal.

"I played here for many years in the youth ranks, but at first I did not have the chance to become a professional football player at BVB and to realize my dream.

"Afterwards I developed at Rot Weiss Ahlen and Borussia Mönchengladbach like I imagined and hoped for, and then there came the offer from Dortmund.

"It has always been a dream to play for the club because I feel very connected to the fans. It is a lot of fun to play in our stadium and in particular to celebrate victories together with the fans.

"A childhood dream came true for me."

Reus re-entered the Dortmund first team at the start of 2018, after sustaining damage to a cruciate ligament at the end of last season. 

Now back in form, he underlined that his new contract was signed with an eye to the future, although he played down suggestions he could become a club legend on the scale of Francesco Totti at Roma. 

"I am now 28 years old, it is probably my last big contract. So I have considered carefully what I want in my last five or six years at the highest level," he added.

"In the end two things were important to me: to send out a signal that I feel attached to this club and that I want to achieve a lot here. And I wanted to have clarity for myself, before the crucial phase with the final game of the fight for the Champions League places begins and then in the summer, of course, the World Cup in Russia on the program.

"I have little use for words like legend. Everyone does what he thinks is best and wants to get the most out of his career. It is of course sensational and also a nice sign for the fans and the club when you are at a club for as long as [Francesco] Totti was with Roma. But basically everyone has to decide for himself."

The star also revealed that is idol growing up was former Dortmund playmaker Tomas Rosicky, who illuminated BVB for six memorable seasons and lifted the 2001-2002 Bundesliga before swapping the club for Arsenal.

"The way he played football, the carefreeness and lightness in his actions, I loved watching him play," Reus said of the Czech Republic great.

"Unfortunately, I did not meet him personally, but I was told that Tomas was great in character too. It was always nice to see him on the field with his playful class and his scoring skills."