Who is Reinier Jesus, the new $33 million Real Madrid man?

Real Madrid just announced the signing of Reinier Jesus for a reported fee of $33 million. Who is this wonderkid and why did the Galacticos sign him.

On 20th January 2020, Real Madrid announced the signing of Reinier Jesus on their official website. The announcement was made the day after Jesus turned 18. Real Madrid showed a sense of urgency in signing the $30 million starlet. So who is this young Brazilian who has become Real Madrid’s most expensive winter signing?

Reinier Jesus is an 18-year-old, attacking midfielder who made his debut on 31 July 2019 for Flamengo. In those eleven months,  he made 14 appearances for Flamengo and found the net 6 times. He also assisted twice in that period. Not bad for a then 17-year-old kid. In that period he also made 4 appearances for Brazil U-17 netting 3 times and assisting once.

Reinier Jesus is best befitted in the #10 position which has lost its prestige in the modern-day game. At the same time, he is versatile enough to play on either side of the wings. He is very agile and skillful on the ball but the attribute that separates him from most wonder kids is his physical presence. At 18 he is already 6 feet tall and with those long legs, he can hold up the play and get his team a few extra seconds to push men forward.

Off the ball, Jesus is as good as he is on the ball. He likes to press high and break-up plays higher up the pitch. He renders the game really well and can stay composed throughout the 90 minutes. He likes to turn towards the goal as soon as the ball gets to his feet. He shows directness in his running and passing. Jesus likes to arrive in the box and scores goals for fun.

Since, James Rodriguez‘s failure at the Bernabéu, Real Madrid were looking for this breed of midfielder who can score goals and be direct. It looks like they have finally found the player they searched in James Rodriguez. However, there is a lot Reinier Jesus has to learn and Real Madrid could help him learn from the best.