Brazilian Forward Reinier Opens Up on Tough Time at Real Madrid

In the winter of 2020, Real Madrid completed the signing of just turned 18 year old Brazilian talent Reinier from Flamengo. 

Despite having played his last game for the Rio-de-Janeiro based side at 17, he had already played 15 games for the first team, scoring six goals and providing two assists in that time, and there was a lot of excitement over him. 

However, things really did not work out in the Spanish capital. The now 24-year old never made an appearance for the first team, not even one game, and in fact he only played three games for Castilla. He had very unsuccessful loans at Borussia Dortmund in Germany, Girona and Granada n Spain and Frosinone in Italy, scoring just six goals in 105 appearances across those three loan spells. 

Then, in the summer of 2025, after five and a half years contracted to Real Madrid, Reinier headed back to Brazil and joined Atletico Mineiro. In 41 games this season (they use a calendar year schedule in South America), he has scored 10 goals and provided three assists, and is finally enjoying his football again. 

In a recent interview with Diario AS, (you can read the full interview with that link) the Brazilian has been very honest about his time at Real Madrid, and perhaps implied that he was not treated well by club legend Raul, who was Castilla manager at the time. 

When asked what happened with the former Spain striker, having scored two goals in his first three games for Castilla, he responded: "It's complicated to talk about it, and I don't want to go back to that." Clearly, if he had something positive - or at least neutral - to say, he would have done. 

That said, he was asked what it was like to share a dressing room with Raul, Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane, and was more complementary: "I'm a privileged guy to have shared a dressing room with great legends. They are all people who treated me well and helped me at the time." 

Afterwards, Reinier was asked if he could picture a return to Real Madrid one day, answering: "Why not? Who wouldn't like it? But now is not the time and I think 100% of Atletico Mineiro, who have trusted me, in my football and have made a great effort to sign me. I will do my best to repay that trust and affection."

Fair play to him, keeping respectful to his current employers, whilst admitting he would like a return one day. Since missing out on Neymar, Real Madrid have signed a lot of young Brazilian talents in recent years - Vinicius, Eder Militao, Rodrygo and co. Sometimes you get the other end of that and things don't work out, which is fine. Good luck to Reinier.