What to expect from new Borussia Dortmund signing Reinier Jesus

Early life and career

Before we get into the nitty gritty of what exactly Reinier can offer on the pitch, a look into the player’s early life and career is imperative. Reinier Jesus Carvalho is the son of former futsal World Cup winner Mauro Lucius Graça Parente Carvalho, (Mauro Brasilia). Reinier’s father made his mark on the sport in 1985, winning the Futsal World Cup with Brazil. This, incidentally, would prove to be an immense inspiration for Reinier’s football career, and his father would work hard to make sure his son could live out his own footballing dream.

When Reinier was 11 years old, his father worked hard to get him the opportunities he would need to succeed in the sport. Moving to Rio De Janeiro from his home in Brasilia, Reinier was given trials with Vasco de Gama and Fluminense. He would jump between these two academies until finally settling in with Flamengo, his first choice club, three years after moving to the city.

It wasn’t too long until his talents were recognized by the Brazilian capital club, and Mauro Brasilia’s trust in his son vindicated. After moving through the rank’s of Flamengo’s youth system, Former Flamengo manager Jorge Jesus took note of the talent he had at his disposal and the integration into the first team began, and while his debut wasn’t the one he may have dreamed of, one month later, Reinier got the chance to show everyone why he was such a highly rated talent. In a game against his hometown club Avaí , Reinier got on the board with a goal and an assist, which really left an impact on his then manager and teammates. In an interview with Marca, Jorge Jesus had nothing but praise for his former charge:

"“He’s only 17 years old but physically he’s got extraordinary characteristics. He’s very strong technically and he’s five years ahead of his age on the pitch, he plays as if he were a 22-year-old in terms of emotion and intelligence.”"

It would be this maturity on the field that would soon see Reinier on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs. It would eventually be Real Madrid who would sign the young Brazilian talent this past January for a fee of 30 million euros. Since then he has made a few appearances for Real Madrid Castilla, but has yet to break into the first team.