Dortmund vs Rangers: Reyna set to face against man he's named after
Away from the pitch, the Dutchman and the USMNT star have a great friendship, but they will be on opposing teams in the Europa League.
Giovanni Reyna will meet the man after whom he is named, with Rangers manager
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst
claiming they have a "special bond" ahead of their trip to Borussia Dortmund.
Rangers will play against Dortmund in the first leg of their round of 32
Europa Leaguetie at Westfalenstadion on Thursday night, marking the first time the two teams have met since the same matchup of the 1999-20 UEFA Cup.
Van Bronckhorst and Claudio Reyna competed in both legs of that tie over 20 years ago, and Reyna named his baby after the Dutchman because of their strong connection throughout their time at Ibrox.
The Rangers' manager has known the 19-year-old Gio Reyna his entire life and keeps in touch with him and the rest of his family on a regular basis.
When pressed to describe their connection, Van Bronckhorst said in a pre-match press conference that he is looking forward to a wonderful reunion with Reyna in a sporting context:
"I played with his father Claudio and I am good friends with the whole family actually for many years.
"Gio I know from the day he was born so I have a special relationship with him as a friend but also as a player.
"He came to Holland to train with our youth academy at Feyenoord so he was in our house and we were trying to help him to be the player that he is now.
"We have always kept in contact and seen each other at least once a year. It is a special bond I have with the Reyna family and it will be special for both of us to play against each other.
"Hopefully it is a good game. The competitors that we are, we both want to win. It will be a very special moment."
Due to his friendship with Van Bronckhorst, Dortmund manager
Marco Rose
believes Reyna will be especially driven to perform well against Rangers.
Rose anticipates that they will be completely committed to their respective clubs for the two matches, with Reyna expected to make his first European outing of the season following a five-month layoff due to injury.
"I assume that Gio Reyna also wants to show his namesake, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, what he can do," Rose told reporters. "For both of them, it's first and foremost about being successful.
"Still, it's cool that there is such a thing in football."
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