Dortmund’s Gio Reyna has known Van Bronckhorst since he was ‘peeing his pants’ now faces Rangers boss he was named after
BORUSSIA DORTMUND ace Gio Reyna will face his dad's close friend and Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who he was named after.
The German side will welcome the Scottish champions to the Signal Iduna Park on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League Round of 32 clash.
And Reyna will be up against the man he was named after... his dad Claudio's close friend Van Bronckhorst, who he played alongside in this exact fixture over 20 years ago for Rangers.
On the meeting between Reyna and the Dutchman, Dortmund boss Marco Rose said it must be surreal for the 19-year-old to face off against a man he has known since he was 'peeing his pants.'
Rose told reporters: "That's nice (the meeting between Reyna and Van Bronckhorst).
"It's cool that there's something like that in football and that you meet at that level.
"I assume that Gio is also happy to show his namesake what he has learned over the years.
"They've probably known each other for as long as Gio was still peeing his pants.
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"But for both of them it is, of course, primarily about being successful."
Van Bronckhorst described the 'special' moment the two families were drawn against each other in the European competition.
The Ibrox boss smiled: “Gio sent a text straight to my eldest son. They’re almost the same age. It’s good to be drawn against him.
“It’s a special moment for both of us, knowing each other. I’ve known Gio his whole life and he is named after me, so they won’t come better than this.
“We visited him 18 months ago to watch one of his Dortmund games.
“And I’ve already been in contact with his dad Claudio. We’re good friends and hopefully he can come to the games.
“All in all, it’s a very special moment for both of us.
“But being the professionals we are, we want to be the best for our clubs. That’s normal.”