10 Best World Football Transfers Of January 2020 Window
5. Reinier Jesus - Flamengo To Real Madrid
In contrast with the Galacticos of yore, today's Real Madrid have tended instead to spend big on youth. Los Meringues's big January signing joins teenage Brazilian compatriots Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior as the Spanish giants's great hopes for the future.
A promising playmaker, noted for his technical and creative abilities, Reinier only made his debut for Flamengo last summer at the age of 17. Since then his ascent has been rapid. He played 14 games, scoring six times, as the Rio club won the Brazilian title, also featuring in the squad that won the Copa Libertadores and lost to Liverpool in the final of the Club World Cup. All of this has led to his £26 million move to Madrid.
As with Vinicius and Rodrygo, only time will tell whether Real's investment has been a wise one. Reinier will not go straight into the first team, instead playing for the club's reserves, Real Madrid Castilla, for the time being. Having signed a six-year contract, though, Reinier is clearly seen more as a star of the future than the key to Real maintaining their position at the top of La Liga this season.
He may, therefore, yet prove to be a flop who fails to live up to his much vaunted potential. If he can develop on the early quality that he showed at Flamengo, however, then that £26 million might ultimately turn out to be a bargain.