Real Madrid are among the best in the world at snapping up young talent and developing it into world-class footballers. That said, that doesn't mean they always sign youngsters for cheap.
Take for instance, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. These days they are two of the best wingers in the world, and while their quality was far from confirmed when they arrived in Spain, they still cost a pretty penny.
Considering the two have developed into brilliant footballers the since, few would argue with the £75m roughly spent by Los Blancos to bring in the pair. With both players on the books, Madrid took a chance on another talented youngster, Reinier Jesus, in 2020 but his time in Europe has been far less successful.
Reinier: From 'New Kaka' to Real Madrid Flop
Currenlty playing Spanish second division football
Borussia Dortmund's Reiner looks dejected after the match
Reinier quickly established himself as an extremely exciting prospect in Brazil. After breaking into the senior set-up at Flamengo, he bagged six goals and picked up two assists in 15 first-team games.
As an attacking midfielder with an eye for goal, he was quickly dubbed 'the new Kaka'. Former Brazil Under-17's coach Guilherme Dalla Dea told FIFA in 2019:
"He's extremely talented. I see him as a '10' – a Kaka. I see these characteristics in Reiner. He likes getting in the box, scoring goals. He also scores goals from outside the box. I've so much belief in him. He's a kid, a youngster, but he's very level-headed and because of this he's our captain. I firmly believe we'll see him playing at a very high level overseas."
He would then help Flamengo win an impressive Serie A and Copa Libertadores double. His fast-growing reputation was enough for Real Madrid to make their move. In January 2020, they reached an agreement with Flamengo for the transfer in the region of £30m, with 18-year-old Reiner signing a contract until June 2026.
He actually broke down in tears of joy at his club presentation but after initially being put into the youth set-up, he was sent on a two-season loan to Borussia Dortmund in August later that year. The German club has a reputation for developing young talent – with top strikers Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak both spending time there – so it looked like a great opportunity.
However, it's been downhill ever since. Indeed, Now in 2025, the attacker is playing for Segunda Division club Granada. He is only on loan from Real Madrid, with that contract not set to expire until the summer of 2026. With his value plummeting to £2m, it seems unlikely that Los Blancos will ever see a return for their £30m spent in 2020 – especially as he hasn't played a competitive game for them yet.
So what went wrong?
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Reiner Flops at Borussia Dortmund
Has struggled on loan at multiple different clubs too
Perhaps a key problem was the pressure. After his move to Madrid was confirmed, Ex-Flamengo team-mate Filipe Luis told Marca:
"It really is a great signing; I congratulate Real Madrid. I remember Kaka because he played with his head up, and he was lethal in the area. Reinier has even more quality than Kaka with his back to goal."
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted his immediate integration in Spain too, and when football returned he was shipped out on loan to Dortmund where first-team minutes seemed more likely.
He was in Germany from 2020 to 2022 but had a miserable time, scoring just one goal and claiming one assist for the club in 39 senior outings. It's a surprise that he lasted the full duration of the two-season loan, but his talent was at least on show at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo when he scored a crucial penalty in a semi-final shootout victory over Mexico as Brazil went on to win a Gold Medal.
He returned to Spain and went out on loan again, this time to Girona in La Liga. Reinier started brightly enough, but injury issues derailed any sort of momentum. He scored just two goals and struggled to find a new club the following summer.
Reinier Career Stats
Club
Flamengo
Real Madrid Castilla
Borussia Dortmund
Girona
Frosinone
Granada
Eventually, newly-promoted Serie A outfit Frosinone were the only club willing to cover a large portion of Reinier's £3m per year wages. In Italy, once again, fitness issues damaged what had initially looked like good form. Three goals and two assists in 23 games were all he managed for the club.
In 2024, with Madrid still not being able to offload him permanently, or fund use for him in the senior team, Reinier was sent on loan to Granada in the Spanish second division. With one goal to his name so far, as the stats highlight, it's hard to get excited about the now-23-year-old.
Reinier Jesus stats this season at Granada
Truth be told, it's been more of the same at his new club, with the creative player struggling for regular starts. His contract will keep him at Madrid for one more year, but a permanent exit is almost inevitable at the first opportunity.
When he first joined Dortmund on loan, he said: “I don’t want to be a Kaka, I want to be Reinier." Sadly, that has very much been the case with comparisons to the Brazilian icon now a thing of the past.
Stats via SofaScore and Transfermarkt - as of 22/03/25