Luca Reggiani, who is Borussia Dortmund’s Italian youngster at'Champions debut

At only 18 years old, Luca Reggiani starred in a night that every professional footballer in Europe dreams of: his Champions League debut, moreover as a starter in a knockout stage match. The young Borussia Dortmund defender, a center-back with a goal-scoring habit, taking advantage in dead-ball situations of his 186 centimeters of height, was in fact deployed in the eleven that took the field against Atalanta, in Tuesday night’s match valid for the first leg of the playoffs for access to the round of 16 of Europe’s top competition.

Born in Modena on Jan. 9, 2008, Reggiani began playing soccer at the age of five, cultivating a passion for the role of central defender from an early age. His reference is, among others, an Atalanta player, Giorgio Scalvini, paradoxically on the bench in the same match. Reggiani’s career evolved very quickly from an early age in the youth ranks of Sassuolo to a move to Germany in 2024.

Bringing him to Teutonic soil was Borussia Dortmund, which placed him in an environment that already at the Under level is capable of growing international talent. With the yellow-and-whites, he put himself on display in the UEFA Youth League and won the national Under-17 title, confirming his ability to adapt quickly to a completely new environment.

This season he started with the Yellow and Black second team, earning his first-team debut in January in Wolfsburg, last Feb. 7, entering at 89’89’ in place of Beier. Last Friday, against Mainz, his minutes on the field were 45, all in the second half, in place of Süle. Tuesday night marked the Champions League debut for a youngster who, by the way, also wears the Italy Under-19 shirt and has played in the U15, U16, U17 and U18 national teams.