Real Madrid’s worst loan decision was something few could have predicted

We are nearly 18 months into Reinier Jesus’ loan from Real Madrid to Borussia Dortmund, and we can count the number of starts the Brazilian has made with one hand. In fact, we can do so with just one finger.

Reinier’s loan to the Bundesliga has been nothing but an utter disaster. The talented attacking midfielder joined Real Madrid in the winter 2020 transfer window for 30 million euros. He shined at Castilla and had a number of suitors for his services on a loan deal.

Real and Reiner chose Dortmund. Because why wouldn’t they? The Black and Yellows are the destination for any young player looking to become a big star. Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, and Madrid loanee Achraf Hakimi are three recent examples of players who sprung to stardom at Dortmund. Jude Bellingham will be the next in line.

Instead of soaking up opportunities in the attacking midfield, Reinier barely played in his first season in Dortmund. He earned just 14 appearances and one start in his first season, scoring a goal and an assist in his meager 257 minutes. For those of you keeping track, that’s 0.70 goal contributions per 90 minutes. Reinier only played a handful of non-Bundesliga matches.

Nothing has changed for Reinier at Dortmund

Despite the serious lack of minutes and rumblings that his loan could be terminated, Real Madrid decided to stick things out for the second year of the loan.

But nothing has changed for Reinier. New manager Marco Rose does not seem to have big plans for the 19-year-old either. Reinier has made just five appearances with under 60 minutes played. At Dortmund, his career is going nowhere. How many talented young players have we said that for over the years? How many high-profile loanees have the Black and Yellows given so few opportunities to?

Real Madrid should absolutely be concerned, and it is shocking to see how things have gone so wrong here. Madridistas have every right to be frustrated with Dortmund, too. Perhaps Reinier has failed to distinguish himself, but can he really be that much worse than Thorgan Hazard or Julian Brandt? Not that those two are bad players, but the gulf in class should not be so wide that Reinier is totally starved of opportunities.

As we head into the winter transfer window, Reinier’s future is very much up in the air. A move to Benfica is a possibility. Surely, there will be other suitors interested in Reinier, who could even be an asset in European competition.

At the end of the day, this Reinier loan to Dortmund has to be considered a total failure. I cannot see anything materializing for the player soon. If it does, that would be a pleasant shock, but it would also be too little, too late. Because that would not erase the fact that Reinier wasted more than a year of his career doing nothing at Dortmund.

It is a very uncharacteristic situation, so it is hard to blame Real Madrid for this loan move turning out so sour. This case is one of those rare ones where a loan can be considered one of the least effective loans in recent memory, yet Los Blancos do not hold the blame here. They found Reinier a great destination on paper. But things have not worked out. It is time to admit defeat and in the strongest terms possible. This loan is one of the worst loans Real have made, as Reinier has had no chance to progress or prove he is a future solution in Madrid.