‘Cream always rises’ – Bellingham boosts Reyna after USMNT masterclass

If anyone knows about Gio Reyna’s quality, it’s Jude Bellingham

If anyone knows about Gio Reyna’s quality, it’s Jude Bellingham.

The pair were teammates for three seasons at Borussia Dortmund before Bellingham departed last summer to join Real Madrid, where he’s added to his growing reputation as one of the world’s top players.

Reyna hasn’t had nearly the same level of club success since Bellingham left Germany. The 21-year-old didn’t get a sustained run of playing time at Dortmund before departing at midseason to join Nottingham Forest on loan.

But things haven’t been any better in England, with Reyna totaling just 38 minutes of action with Forest thus far.

The international break came as a much-needed respite for Reyna, who showed what he can do over two Concacaf Nations League matches with the United States.

Reyna assisted two Haji Wright goals in extra time of a 3-1 win over Jamaica in the semifinal, and then scored himself in a 2-0 win over Mexico in the final on Sunday. For his efforts, Reyna won the Golden Ball as the Nations League’s best player.

After taking home more individual and team hardware, Reyna posted a series of photos on Instagram. Bellingham jumped into the comments section with a boost to his old friend, saying: “Cream always rises to the top.”

The challenge for Reyna will now be to translate his international form to the club level. His next chance to impress for Forest could come on Saturday in a Premier League match against Crystal Palace, which features his USMNT teammate Chris Richards.

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