"Marco Reus A Bundesliga Legend, Would Be Great If He Wins Title": Karl-Heinz Riedle
Borussia Dortmund, two points ahead of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga standings, will lift the title for the first time in 11 years if they beat Cologne on Saturday.
The Bundesliga is heading to a thrilling conclusion, with Borussia Dortmund only one win away from putting an end to Bayern Munich's monopoly in the league. Facing FC Cologne in their last match of the season, Dortmund would go on to win the title for the first time in 11 years if they secure all three points on Saturday. Even a win or a draw for Bayern, in their last game against Augsburg, would be enough for the Bavarians end second, as they are trailing Dortmund by 2 points at present.Â
In what could be a historic occasion for Borussia Dortmund, their former player Karl-Heinz Riedle caught up with NDTV in a global round-table media conference, arranged by Sony Sports Network. During the chat, Riedle said that he would be really happy for Marco Reus if Dortmund go on to win the title.
Q: Marco Reus is a Borussia Dortmund legend, a Bundesliga legend. There are those who say he had the opportunity to go to Bayern Munich but he decided to stay at Dortmund, keeping his loyalties intact. To potentially finally win the Bundesliga title, beating Bayern Munich. How would you feel if you were in his shoes?
Karl-Heinz Riedle: Marco is definitely one of the players who is absolutely desperate to win this title. I mean, you've mentioned that he could have joined Bayern Munich after leaving Borussia Monchengladbach, and maybe he would have won some kind of (title). But he made a decision for Dortmund, the club of his heart, and you know, we have seen so many great years of him.
Unfortunately, he was injured a lot of times. That was a pity as far as his career is concerned. But he's really a legend. He's really an incredibly good player. I will be so happy for him if we (Dortmund) can win this title on Saturday.
Q: What does a potential Borussia Dortmund mean for the Bundesliga as a whole? How the Bundesliga is seen outside of Germany? How would the fans outside Germany see the league as it's been all Bayern Munich in the last 10 years?
Karl-Heinz Riedle: Yeah, I hope when they (Dortmund) win it on Saturday, maybe this gives some sort of a lift to the international market. I mean, you said it before, the kids that have grown up for the last 10 years, they've not seen a different title-holder than Bayern Munich. So I think if Dortmund can win this, it will be great for the international market, in terms of everything, even sponsorships.
People don't just want to see the No. 1 but also the No. 2. It's a massive chance, and I think it will change a lot on the international stage for the development of the league if they can win it now.
Q: Would the other Bundesliga clubs start to believe too?
Yeah, for sure. I mean, RB Leipzig were definitely close. If they wouldn't have such a bad run in between, they would've been really close to both teams. So, it will be nice to have at least 3, 4, 5 teams like that in the Premier League. It makes the whole league much more interesting for everybody. So yeah, I think that that will be the target next for the few years.
Borussia Dortmund