I have been wanting to write this for a while. At 17, Jadon Sancho had a promising future. He had won the Under-17 World Cup and was rising through the ranks at Manchester City. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite cut in into the senior side. As a result, a move was needed. His new destination was Germany and Borussia Dortmund. He stated that this move abroad would come with ease due to his relocation from Watford to Manchester.
He instantly made it to their first team. In making his debut against Eintracht Frankfurt, he became the first Englishman to represent Dortmund in the Bundesliga. In 2019, he became the youngest ever player in the Budesliga to score eight goals in a single Bundesliga season. The previous holder was Christian Wück. He later surpassed Lukas Podolski's record of being the youngest ever to score nine goals. The same thing happened again but with ten goals. His season tally of 12 goals and 14 assists led to him being part of the 18/19 Bundesliga team of the season.
He started the next season with a bang by scoring and assisting in a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup. He was soon being the runner-up to the Golden Boy Award. He was also the runner-up to the Kopa Trophy [the best performing player under the age of 21]. There was growing interest in him.
During the 2020 summer transfer window, there was a long saga between Manchester United and Dortmund. Borussia Dortmund wanted about 110 million Euros for a player who had two years left on his contract. Jadon Sancho wanted the move. It didn't materialise. A bright side for Man Utd was that personal terms were agreed. Dortmund ended up extending Sancho's contract by an extra year. No complaints were made and Sancho didn't sulk about it. He continued to perform at his optimal best.
The next summer didn't start well for Sancho. He came on the Euro 2021 (2020) final specifically for the penalty shootout but missed his penalty and suffered backlash. A deal was finally struck for 73 million Pounds (85 million Euros). He wasn't putting in Ballon D'or numbers but he did make key contributions.
His fall began in September of last year. He wasn't included in the squad vs. Arsenal due to, "Performances in training" and "Players have to reach a level every day at Manchester United" as per manager Erik Ten Hag. Sancho responded by saying on social media, "I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself very well in training this week... I've been a scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair!" It was announced on 14 September that he would be training, "Away from the first team group pending resolution of a squad discipline issue."
Sancho was not seen training or being named in the matchday squad for Manchester United since then. In January of this season, he secured a loan move back to Borussia Dortmund. He claimed that going back was, "Like coming home." It hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows for him. To date, he has only assisted in two goals and hasn't scored any since his return.
Der Western wrote, "BVB was so happy when Jadon Sancho was brought back during the last winter transfer period. The prodigal son is finally back." However, he was branded the worst player on the pitch in a loss vs. Hoffenheim. He made zero shots on goal and accurate crosses to teammates. Borussia Dortmund sporting director, Sebastian Kehl, has pretty much cancelled the idea of signing him again on a pernament case.
What is it that caused the downfall? To me, it's the player himself. When the reasoning behind him not being in the matchday squad was stated, he should've taken responsibility for it and working harder to reach the appropriate level. He shouldn't have acted so childish. All he had to do is apologise but he didn't. It's a long road to a full 'recovery' from my vantage point.