Gio Reyna is back in the headlines, and this time, for all the right reasons. Long criticized for his injury struggles, limited minutes, and major controversies, the USMNT midfielder successfully rose from the ashes with a standout display in the 2-1 win over Paraguay, delivering a goal and playing, and a wee bit of assist involvement in the second. His emphatic comeback has made him the talk of the moment, even prompting Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham to share a heartfelt message of support.

After the Mauricio Pochettino and Co.’s win over their South American rivals, Reyna took to Instagram to share a carousel of five pictures to celebrate both the result as well as his performance with the caption, “Thank you, Philly! ♥️.” The comments section garnered immense praise from ardent American fans as if the love was never lost for him.

Little did this post end up catching the eye of his former Borussia Dortmund teammate, who, even though they took different paths in their career, remains connected through their socials. Taking to comments, Jude Bellingham wrote a beautiful six-word message saying, “The creme always rises on top 🫶🏻.”

Both Jude Bellingham and Gio Reyna have shared a locker room with each other back at Borussia Dortmund for almost three years, with the American stalwart arriving from NYCFC Academy a year before the English superstar joined from Birmingham U-18. As the two managed to grow through ranks, they were constantly seen training alongside each other.

Both helped their former German side secure the 2020/21 DFB Pokal Cup. While Bellingham made over 132 appearances and notched 24 goals and 25 assists, Reyna also successfully managed to garner a little over 147 appearances but bagged 19 goals and 18 assists despite injury concerns. Not to mention, during this time, the 23-year-old American star even went to Nottingham Forest on loan for a short stint of just 10 games, before finally leaving for Borussia Mönchengladbach earlier this summer.

Since then, Reyna has played a mere 147 minutes in just six matches, notching nil G/A. Meanwhile, things turned out pretty solid for Jude Bellingham, who left Dortmund a couple of years earlier than his best friend after ending the final 2022/23 season by picking up the Bundesliga Player of the Year to start a new chapter with Real Madrid. Since then, Bellingham has made 111 appearances, notching 41 goals and 29 assists while also winning La Liga, UCL, Spanish Super Cup, FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and UEFA Super Cup.

Both players’ success and career paths might be different than each other, but they certainly haven’t forgotten their good old Dortmund days, which were quite evident from Bellingham’s heartfelt message. But the Los Blancos superstar isn’t alone, with even Gio Reyna once going the extra mile for his former teammate, only to end up garnering major criticism from the fans.

Gio Reyna once faced the fury of fans while sending a message to Jude Bellingham

Yes, imagine hearing that. Well, it stems back to the 2024 UEFA Champions League final. Despite his first year with Real Madrid, the 22-year-old managed to make it to the European final with his new club. Guess the opponents? None other than his former side, Borussia Dortmund! Having helped with an emphatic 2-0 win to seal a record 15th European victory for the Spanish side, Jude Bellingham shared a celebratory picture on Instagram.

Being one of his friends, it was only natural for Gio Reyna to have come across the post and even write a congratulatory message, which he did by simply adding three white heart emojis. But considering the American midfielder was still a Borussia Dortmund player, doing so can be termed as an ethical conundrum. No wonder the moment this comment caught the attention of fans, they criticized Reyna, even making calls for selling him. Seeing the commotion, the midfielder was left with no choice but to delete the comment.

Yet, the hatred among Dortmund fans only grew, coupled with his lack of performance for the team. Either way, the past is in the past, as we are witnessing the rise of a new Gio Reyna. Just like former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich assistant coach Rene Maric once put it, “He was considered our biggest talent besides Jude (Bellingham)… and ‘a taller version of (Andres) Iniesta’,” watch out, Bellingham, your congratulatory message is only going to boost your ex-teammate’s morale.