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 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 our youngsters break into the first team, it gives everyone a sense of hope," Schaffran told Sky Sports.
As the academy director, he explained that Reggiani’s breakthrough is part of a broader pattern that is reshaping Dortmund’s development philosophy. Another 18‑year‑old Italian, Samuele Inacio, made his Bundesliga debut against Bayern Munich in February, and the club’s coaches immediately noted his readiness. Six‑year‑old prodigy Mathis Albert, only 16, earned his first senior appearance versus Freiburg last Sunday, while 17‑year‑old Mussa Kaba is on the verge of following suit.
"Mussa has been with us since he was 11 and I hold him in very high regard," Schaffran said. The three youngsters were not home‑grown; they were recruited into the academy. "Our aim is to build players from the ground up, but we need both pillars – home‑grown talent and smart acquisitions. And Dortmund offers a clear pathway for both." Inacio arrived from Atalanta and Reggiani from Sassuolo.
Schaffran pointed out that in Italy the average centre‑back is well into his thirties, making it extremely difficult for an 18‑year‑old defender to secure regular minutes at the highest level. Dortmund, by contrast, provides a platform where a young centre‑back can play against world‑class opposition. The notion of Borussia Dortmund as a "finishing school" is not new. The club has previously accelerated the careers of stars like Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, who both moved to the Ruhr region to fast‑track their rise.
However, recent pressure to deliver results has forced the club to rethink its first‑team recruitment strategy, pushing it to look even younger for the next generation of gems. This shift places a greater burden on Schaffran’s staff to refine raw talent, and it has sparked a cultural overhaul within the academy. "We rewrote 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 level means nothing if the player does not become a Bundesliga professional." He continued: "Now we deliberately give our youngsters the toughest challenges possible.
By exposing them to high‑intensity, high‑pressure situations early, we make the transition to senior football smoother. It’s a radical change in mindset." According to Schaffran, Dortmund now fields the youngest under‑17 squad in Germany, the youngest under‑19 side as well, and even the youngest team competing in the Premier League International Cup. They are not there to win trophies; they are there to be over‑challenged.
"If we keep players in a comfort zone for too long, they stop adapting and their development stalls." He elaborated on the philosophy: "The key is how quickly a player can adjust to new challenges and circumstances. The game is becoming faster, more physical, and tactically complex.
Players must learn to adapt, even if it means a temporary dip in performance. During adaptation phases, efficiency drops, but developmental gains rise." One of the tools Dortmund has introduced to support this approach is bio‑banding.
By using ultrasound technology to determine each player’s skeletal age, the academy can place youngsters in groups that match their physical maturity rather than their chronological 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‑maturing bodies rather than true talent.
"The biggest lesson from bio‑banding wasn’t for the players, but for our coaches and scouts," Schaffran said. "They now evaluate prospects differently than they did two or three years ago." Scouts who once favoured players dominating their age group are now taught to look beyond immediate physical superiority.
"A 14‑year‑old who gets bullied out of the ball but possesses technical talent will eventually thrive if given the right environment," Schaffran noted. He cited an anonymous 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, that player now has a realistic chance of reaching the top level. Instead of imposing quotas, Dortmund focused on education and balanced representation. This season, the academy achieved a more even distribution: roughly 15% early developers, 70% average, and 15% late developers. Balancing individual growth with team performance is a constant tension.
When Inacio and Albert impressed for the under‑19s, they were promoted to a higher level to face a new challenge. Albert, in particular, demonstrated remarkable adaptability, having featured for Dortmund’s squad at the Club World Cup, represented the United States at the Under‑17 World Cup, and played across the under‑19 and under‑23 teams both domestically and abroad. "He constantly steps up in different environments," Schaffran observed. Admittedly, losing top performers can hurt short‑term results.
"Inacio and Albert scored many goals, Luca was a leader. If we only cared about winning at youth level, we would have kept them," Schaffran admitted. "But our metric is development, not trophies." The academy’s close relationship with the first‑team hierarchy reinforces this pathway. Former academy chief Rudi Ricken now makes key decisions for the senior squad and works hand‑in‑hand with Schaffran.
"I’m always invited to first‑team squad meetings to discuss youth prospects," Schaffran said. Ricken himself was instrumental in recruiting many of the current youngsters, ensuring a smooth transition from academy to senior side. Schaffran recalled the pride he felt seeing Reggiani celebrate his goal with the under‑12‑to‑15 age groups back at the academy.
"Luca’s joy radiated through the whole club," he said. Dortmund’s talent conveyor belt is humming again, driven by a philosophy that values challenge, adaptation, and individualized growth over short‑term silverware.