Real Madrid: Reinier is still held in very high regard

Although Real Madrid loanee Reinier Jesus has played a mere 165 minutes in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund this season, Madridistas should not be too presumptuous with their evaluations of the former Flamengo man.

Signed for 30 million euros in the 2020 winter transfer window, Reinier is the most recent of Florentino Perez’s young investments. He has not been given as many chances to shine on the pitch as Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, or even Eintracht Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic. And thus, some fans may be inclined to think of him as a disappointment.

But the 19-year-old branded as the “next Kaka” is still held in high regard by football observers around the world, even though he’s scarcely had a chance to impress in the 2020-2021 season for the Black and Yellows.

Reinier has placed 10th out of 50 in Goal.com’s NXGN 2021 rankings, which rates the world’s best wonderkids. Another Real Madrid prospect, Takuhiro Nakai, made it on the list in 49th. Reinier is behind Dortmund teammates Gio Reyna and Jude Bellingham, as you’d expect, but maybe surprisingly ahead of striker Youssoufa Moukoko.

Reinier quietly shone for Real Madrid Castilla last season

Other notable entrants include Ansu Fati as the winner and fellow Barcelona rival Pedri in fourth. Noted transfer targets Eduardo Camavinga (2), Rayan Cherki (11, so behind Reinier), and Nuno Mendes (23) were all in the top 25.

But back to Reinier. Real Madrid fans don’t have much film on him, since he’s barely played in the Bundesliga with a meager goal to his tally off the bench. He’s never started. However, Madridistas did see him play for Castilla in the second half of the 2019-2020 season, and he showed some very intriguing traits that would back up such a high ranking by the experts at Goal.com in their NXGN list.

Reinier is very strong on the ball. He does a great job of getting open for his teammates and picks out progressive passes to players who can actually do something with the ball afterward, which is honestly a rare trait for a young attacking player. There are some midfielders older than Reinier who struggle to take on the responsibility like he does.

At Castilla, Reinier had two goals and an assist in just three appearances, showing a good eye for goal and an ability to be the “hub” in the attack. He has the traits to be a No. 10 or a “false nine”, and while neither positions are currently in effect for Real Madrid, there’s always the chance he can develop into a different position or have his role accommodated.

Reinier has a lot of work to do before we can start talking about him as a Real Madrid first-team player. He still needs to prove he can break through at Dortmund. But with Jadon Sancho, Julian Brandt, and Erling Haaland all potentially on the way out this summer, space could be opening up for the former Flamengo star.

So don’t give up on Reinier yet. He’s with a prestigious club, he has a high degree of technical quality, and there are a lot of smart football observers around the world who think the Brazilian is one of the very best talents to watch going forward.