Jude Bellingham Sends Six-Word Message to Gio Reyna After USMNT Return

The two players were teammates for three seasons at Borussia Dortmund before moving to their current clubs.

Gio Reyna (left) and Jude Bellingham (right) have both represented their countries in November. / Mark Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images and James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

Gio Reyna made an outstanding return to action with the U.S. men’s national team on Saturday night in a 2–1 win over Paraguay, catching the attention of his former Borussia Dortmund teammate Jude Bellingham.

Reyna, who had missed several USMNT camps due to a lack of form and fitness, scored in the fourth minute against the South Americans, heading home a cross from Max Arfsten at Subaru Park. 

The 22-year-old continued to impact the game later on, helping to set up Folarin Balogun for the USMNT’s second goal and eventual game-winner. Bellingham, who was overseas with the England national team at the time of the victory, still praised his former Bundesliga teammate on social media. 

“The cream always rises to the top,” the Real Madrid star commented on Reyna’s Instagram post in which the American midfielder celebrated his masterful performance with the Stars and Stripes.

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The two were teammates for three seasons with Dortmund before Bellingham eventually left to join ’s Real Madrid ahead of the 2023–24 season, while Reyna’s departure to Borussia Mönchengladbach came in the 2025 summer transfer window. 

Bellingham’s message was identical to one he left in Reyna’s Instagram comments in 2024 when Reyna scored his last goal for the national team in a win over Mexico to capture the 2024 Concacaf Nations League title. 

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Reyna Hopeful to Carve Out a Place in Pochettino’s Squad

Gio Reyna has ambitions to represent the Stars and Stripes at the 2026 World Cup. / Omar Vega/Getty Images

Now, Reyna hopes the cream will keep rising. He has just 147 minutes in the Bundesliga this season and has been inconsistent for both club and country, despite being adamant that he will be on the 2026 World Cup roster. 

“I do obviously think about [the World Cup] pretty often as it’s somewhere where I need and want to be,” Reyna said of next summer’s tournament in an interview with the Associated Press. “But I try to focus daily here, stay present here, work here every day, and hopefully believe everything will fall into place.”

Other commenters on his latest post included USMNT teammates Chris Richards, Sergiño Dest and Yunus Musah. 

With his long-awaited return now finally behind him, Reyna will look looks to impress again in the final USMNT match of 2025 when they face Uruguay on Tuesday night.

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