Reinier: "Anybody would want to play alongside Vinicius"
The Flamengo sensation spoke to AS and discussed Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, the Spanish league and his former stablemate at the Brazilian club.
Flamengo will play River Plate in the final of the Copa Libertadores with history at stake and among all of the potential story lines is the possibility that the game could be settled by 17-year-old Reinier Jesus Carvalho, who has been described as the “best youth player in the world.” Atlético Madrid are reportedly interested in the attacking midfielder and Real Madrid have inevitably been linked with the Brazilian, who has become important enough to Flamengo at such a young age that the club prevented him from representing his country at the under-17 World Cup on home soil.
Although Atlético seem to have muscled their way to the front of the queue for Reinier, who has a €62 million release clause in his contract, there is likely to be plenty of interest in the young Brazilian from elsewhere after his exposure on the Libertadores stage.
Reinier: "It’s an honour that Atlético are interested"
“It’s an honour that Atlético are interested in me because they are a huge club,” Reinier said in an interview with AS, while also acknowledging that another club in the Spanish capital are probably keeping a close eye on his development as well. “It’s another honour to know that one of the biggest clubs in the world is watching me. But I’m a Flamengo player and my objective is to keep doing a good job here to win many titles in Brazil.”
Speaking about Vinicius, who also came through the ranks at Flamengo, Reinier said: “He’s a great player and anybody would want to play alongside him. He was a star at Flamengo we all love him. What he achieved in Brazil was full of merit and now he is in Spain showing all the talent he has at his disposal. LaLiga is one of the most competitive leagues in the world. It’s great that Spanish football has always been so welcoming of Brazilians. The technical quality and attacking style of football are two of the things I like most about the Spanish league.”