Just moments before the hour mark in the match against Augsburg, with the familiar roar of 81,365 fans filling the stadium, 18-year-old defender Luca Reggiani found the net for Borussia Dortmund. The sheer elation on the youngster's face was echoed back at the club's academy by director Paul Schaffran.
"When we promote our youngsters to the senior squad it lifts everyone's spirits," Schaffran told Sky Sports. As the academy director, he explained that Reggiani's breakthrough is part of a broader pattern at the club. Another 18-year-old Italian, Samuele Inacio, made his Bundesliga debut against Bayern Munich in February and immediately impressed. "He showed he was ready for that level," Schaffran noted.
Sixteen‑year‑old Mathis Albert also earned his first‑team debut against Freiburg last Sunday, while 17‑year‑old Mussa Kaba is on the brink of his own opportunity. "Mussa has been with us since he was 11 and I hold him in very high regard," Schaffran said.
The three players mentioned were all signed from outside the club. "Our philosophy is to develop talent from the ground up, but we also need a solid base of home‑grown players," he added, emphasizing that Dortmund provides a clear pathway for young prospects.
Inacio arrived from Atalanta and Reggiani from Sassuolo. Schaffran highlighted the difficulty for an 18‑year‑old centre‑back in Italy, where the average age for that position is often above 30, making it hard for a teenager to secure regular minutes at a high level. Dortmund's reputation as a "finishing school" is not new – stars like Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham have used the club as a springboard to elite status. However, recent pressure to deliver results forced the club to rethink its first‑team recruitment strategy, prompting a stronger emphasis on youth.
Facing competition from other clubs, Dortmund decided to go even younger in the hunt for hidden gems. This shift placed greater responsibility on Schaffran and his staff to refine these talents. The academy's mindset has been overhauled to match the new ambition. "We revised our vision and the way we develop players," Schaffran explained.
"Previously we were obsessed with winning at every youth level, but a victory at under‑17 means nothing if the player does not become a Bundesliga professional." He continued, "Now we deliberately give our youngsters the toughest challenges possible. The idea is to make the transition to senior football smoother because they have already faced adversity. It is a radical change in our thinking." According to Schaffran, Dortmund now fields the youngest under‑17 and under‑19 squads in Germany, as well as the youngest side competing in the Premier League International Cup. Winning those tournaments is not the priority.
"We do it on purpose," he said. "Being the youngest is not a badge of honour; it is a method to ensure players are constantly over‑challenged, which accelerates development." He stressed that constant adaptation is essential.
"The game will get faster, more physical and more complex. Players must learn to adjust quickly.
During adaptation periods performance may dip, but the developmental payoff is far greater than the short‑term chance of winning a youth match." A key component of this new approach is bio‑banding. Dortmund now uses ultrasound scans to determine each player's skeletal age, ensuring they compete at a level appropriate for their physical maturity rather than their chronological age. The data was eye‑opening. Six years ago, 35% of the academy were early developers, 60% were average and only about 5% were late developers – a distribution heavily skewed by bias rather than true talent.
"The biggest lesson from bio‑banding was for our coaches and scouts," Schaffran said. "It forced them to reassess how they evaluate players." Scouts who previously favoured physically dominant youngsters now consider late‑maturing players who may be quieter on the pitch but possess long‑term potential. Schaffran cited an unnamed player who would have been discarded under the old system because he was slower than his peers. Given time to develop at his own pace, that player now has a realistic chance of reaching the top.
Rather than imposing quotas, Dortmund focused on education. The result this season is a balanced mix: roughly 15% early developers, 70% average and 15% late developers – a distribution the club believes will maximise overall growth.
Individual focus sometimes means losing key players from youth squads. When Inacio and Albert excelled with the under‑19s, they were promoted to higher levels.
Albert, in particular, has shown remarkable adaptability, having featured in the Club World Cup, the U‑17 World Cup for the United States, and now regularly training with the under‑19 and under‑23 sides. "He thrives in varied environments and keeps stepping up," Schaffran observed.
Such promotions can be painful for the remaining team, as they lose their best contributors. "If we only cared about winning at youth level, we would keep them," Schaffran admitted. "Our metric is development, not trophies." The alignment between the academy and the first team has been strengthened under former academy chief Ricken, who now plays a major role in senior‑team decisions.
Schaffran regularly attends first‑team squad planning meetings to discuss promising youngsters, and Ricken himself has been instrumental in recruiting many of the current academy prospects. Schaffran recalled the joy of seeing Reggiani celebrate his goal, then returning to the academy to share the moment with players as young as twelve. "Luca's excitement lit up the whole group," he said proudly.
The pipeline of talent at Dortmund is humming once more, driven by a philosophy that values challenge, scientific assessment, and a clear route to professional football.