In 2016, Thomas Tuchel planned to turn Dario Scuderi into Borussia Dortmund’s right-back. But then he suffered an injury that nearly cost him his leg. Today, he scouts new talent for the club.
“My dream is to one day work as a scout or coach at Dortmund’s academy. And that’s exactly where I see myself,” said Dario Scuderi in March 2021, during a detailed interview with SPOX, when asked where he saw himself in 2026. Just over five years later, it’s clear: the now 28-year-old has made that dream a reality.
Scuderi now works at BVB as a scout in the talent development department. In this role, the Italian travels the world in search of young prospects who could be of interest to Borussia.
And Scuderi, who ended his playing career in 2019, has already delivered results for Dortmund. Filippo Mane arrived in early 2021 from Sampdoria’s U19 team in Genoa. The two youngsters Samuele Inacio and Luca Reggiani, who have already broken into the first team this season, were also discovered by Scuderi.
“It’s a great feeling. I travel a lot around Europe, get to know many different countries, and see many good players. I enjoy watching football and doing analysis,” he once said in a club podcast.
**”The most severe knee injury you can imagine”**
But one thing is certain: if he had a choice, Scuderi would undoubtedly still be playing professionally today, at the peak age for a footballer. Fate had other plans. He was hit so hard that even a superstar like Neymar sent him recovery wishes.
What happened? At 18, Scuderi was on the field for BVB’s U19 team in Warsaw during a Youth League match. Today, he prefers to scout potential future stars in that very competition.
In Poland, Scuderi suffered “the most severe knee injury you can imagine,” as renowned Munich knee specialist Dr. Michael Strobel said at the time. The diagnosis: dislocated knee, double cruciate ligament rupture, lateral ligament rupture, and meniscus damage.
Scuderi was supposed to take over the right-back position in Tuchel’s team.
Scuderi had already come through several youth levels at Borussia. Under Hannes Wolf, he won two championship titles; in 2016, he was set to be converted into a right-back for Thomas Tuchel’s first team. Then came September and a fateful sprint after a misplaced pass.
“Because I had pushed too far forward, my opponent was left free to advance toward goal,” Scuderi recalled of the play. “So I gave everything in that run and managed to catch up to him. Only his shot block turned out to be a disaster for me.”
What followed was an insane ordeal, starting with the hours after the injury. First, he had to go to a second hospital in Warsaw; then his knee swelled up “as big as two soccer balls.” “The next morning, I was taken to breakfast in a wheelchair,” he said.
Dario Scuderi could have even lost his leg.
Dortmund’s team doctor, Dr. Markus Braun, who was with the professional players for the Champions League match later that evening, was very concerned. “He said we needed to return to Dortmund urgently because there was a risk of compartment syndrome—excess fluid pressing on tissues, tendons, and nerves,” Scuderi said.
He declined the offer of a private jet from CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and returned home as planned, alongside the professionals. Scuderi, who was knocked out of his wheelchair by an airport employee during check-in, has since turned his ordeal into a new chapter in football.
