Just before the hour mark in the match against Augsburg, in front of the familiar sea of 81,365 fans, 18‑year‑old defender Luca Reggiani found the back of the net for Borussia Dortmund. The sheer elation on the youngster’s face was instantly echoed back at the club’s academy by director Paul Schaffran.
"Seeing our youngsters break into the first team gives everyone a boost of optimism," Schaffran told Sky Sports. As the academy chief, he was speaking from a hotel in Liverpool ahead of a development game, and his tone made clear that Reggiani is part of a broader, deliberate pattern. Another 18‑year‑old Italian, Samuele Inacio, made his Bundesliga debut against Bayern Munich in February, and Schaffran noted, "He’s already proven he belongs at this level." Even younger, 16‑year‑old Mathis Albert earned his first‑team minutes against Freiburg last Sunday, while 17‑year‑old Mussa Kaba is on the cusp of a debut. "He’s been with us since he was eleven and I rate him very highly," Schaffran added.
These three players are products of two different pathways. Inacio arrived from Atalanta, Reggiani from Sassuolo, and the academy also nurtures home‑grown talent.
"Our philosophy is to build players from the ground up, but we need both pillars – home‑grown and imported prospects – to succeed," Schaffran explained. He also highlighted the importance of a clear route to the senior squad: "When young players see a tangible pathway, they are far more motivated." The case of Reggiani illustrates a wider trend in German football. In Italy, centre‑backs typically peak in their thirties, making it extremely difficult for an 18‑year‑old defender to secure regular minutes at the highest level.
Dortmund’s willingness to trust a teenager in such a demanding position is a testament to the club’s evolving recruitment and development strategy. The notion of Dortmund as a "finishing school" is not new – the rapid rise of Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham after their arrivals in the Ruhr region exemplifies this.
However, recent pressure to deliver results has forced the club to rethink its first‑team recruitment, pushing the academy to produce talent even faster. Competition from other European clubs has intensified this urgency, prompting Dortmund to scout younger and more raw prospects, thereby placing a heavier burden on Schaffran’s staff to refine them. "We altered our vision and the way we develop players," Schaffran said.
"In the past we were primarily focused on winning at youth level. But a victory in an under‑17 match means little if the player does not become a Bundesliga professional." His new philosophy flips the old model on its head: instead of protecting youngsters from defeat, Dortmund now deliberately places them in the toughest possible scenarios at youth level.
The aim is to accelerate adaptation, making the eventual transition to senior football smoother. "It’s a massive shift in our thinking," he noted.
Statistically, Dortmund now fields the youngest squads in Germany at both under‑17 and under‑19 levels, and they also field the youngest side in the Premier League International Cup. The club does not expect to win that tournament; the objective is exposure to high‑intensity competition. "We are not doing this just to be the youngest – we want to over‑challenge them so they learn to adapt quickly," Schaffran emphasized.
According to his analysis, constant adaptation reduces short‑term efficiency – players may not dominate games while they are learning – but it dramatically raises long‑term developmental upside. "Every time you’re in an adaptation phase you won’t have the same impact on the match, but the chance for high development increases," he explained. A key tool in this new approach is bio‑banding, which uses ultrasound scans to determine each player’s true skeletal age.
Six years ago, the academy’s composition was heavily skewed: 35% early developers, 60% average, and less than 5% late developers. This imbalance reflected a bias toward early physical maturity rather than genuine talent.
After introducing bio‑banding, the distribution normalised to roughly 15% early, 70% average, and 15% late developers – a more balanced and inclusive mix. "The biggest lesson from bio‑banding wasn’t for the players, it was for the coaches and scouts," Schaffran said.
"They now evaluate talent differently than they did two or three years ago." Coaches have been trained to look beyond a player’s current dominance in his age group. A 14‑year‑old who is physically outmatched but shows technical promise is now seen as a long‑term prospect rather than a liability. Schaffran cited an unnamed player who would have been rejected under the old system because he was slower than his peers; given time to develop at his own pace, he now has a realistic chance of reaching the top level.
Rather than imposing quotas, Dortmund focused on education and awareness. This shift has paid off, as the academy now boasts a more representative spread of developmental stages, ensuring that late bloomers receive the same opportunities as early maturers. The commitment to individual progression sometimes means losing key players from youth squads. When Inacio and Albert excelled with the under‑19s, they were promoted to higher age groups to face new challenges.
Albert’s versatility is especially noteworthy: he featured in Dortmund’s Club World Cup squad, represented the United States at the U‑17 World Cup, and has played for the under‑19s and under‑23s across domestic and international competitions. "He constantly steps up in new environments," Schaffran remarked. Admittedly, promoting talent early can be hard on the remaining squad. "When you lose your top scorers or your leader, it can feel like a setback," Schaffran admitted.
Yet the academy’s primary metric is development, not short‑term trophies. This philosophy aligns with the club’s broader strategic direction under former academy chief Rainer Ricken, who now influences first‑team decisions.
Schaffran works closely with Ricken, attending first‑team squad planning meetings to discuss youth prospects. Ricken’s involvement in recruiting many of these players has streamlined the pathway from academy to senior side. "When the first‑team staff understand the youth pipeline, it makes integration easier," Schaffran said. The moment that encapsulated the success of this system was Reggiani’s celebration after his goal against Augsburg.
He returned to the academy to celebrate with the under‑12 to under‑15 groups, a scene that filled Schaffran with pride. Dortmund’s conveyor belt of talent, once again, is humming.
In summary, Dortmund’s academy overhaul hinges on three pillars: a willingness to give teenagers real senior‑team exposure, the use of scientific tools like bio‑banding to create a balanced talent pool, and a cultural shift that values long‑term development over immediate youth‑level victories. By constantly challenging its youngsters and ensuring a clear route to the first team, the club aims to sustain its reputation as one of Europe’s premier talent factories.