When Real Madrid signed Reinier from Flamengo in 2020, the youngster was seen as the next big thing in La Liga. After all, Los Blancos were creating a name for themselves as a home nurturing young Brazilian stars.

While most of his compatriots made it big at the club, Reinier did not enjoy the same luck. He left on loan to Borussia Dortmund for two years before signing for Girona in 2022.

He finally moved to Frosinone, his current club, in September this year and has made a strong start to life in Italy.

The former Real Madrid star recently spoke to AS in a detailed interview where he spoke about his time at Real Madrid and his ambition of returning to the Spanish club amongst other topics.

He began by reminiscing the day he received the call from Los Blancos over a possible transfer.

“It was an unforgettable emotion. I was with Flamengo, waiting for the offers of several teams, but not that of Madrid. When my father called me to let me know, I told him that we couldn’t refuse him and my guts started to hurt from the emotion (laughs).”

“Madrid was always my team, I grew up watching Cristiano. I couldn’t believe it,” he added.

As soon as the player arrived in Spain, he linked up with Real Madrid Castilla where he was under Raul Gonzalez’s tutelage. The player revealed the awe he felt in the presence of such a legend and the progress he made under his watch.

“He welcomed me great, in addition to being a legend, he is a great person. The pity is that there, with Castilla, I had a good start, with two goals and great confidence, but there was also a little lack of luck.”

“After three games, COVID appeared and the league was suspended,” he continued.

The youngster is now finally in a good moment in his professional career, having established his name in Frosinone’s starting lineup.

“Here the training is hard, but on the field, I feel confident. I have the support of the coach, the club and the fans. I am very happy,” he said about his new club.

Reinier went on to add the factors that played a role in his boost in form, saying: “I feel calm, without pressure. The coach tells me that I have to play happily, with my smile on, and on the field I know what I have to do. I’m getting better.”

Speaking about how his move to the Italian club panned out, Reinier revealed that it was not a decision made in advance.

“We waited until the end of the market to make the best decision. My father always told me that Serie A was a great league for my football and, together with my agent, we accepted.”

The Brazilian starlet was then quizzed about his favourite position on the field and how it compared with the role he was tasked with in Frosinone.

“I love playing near the goal and handling the ball, but with the coach, I am working on other facets of the game, which are a priority,” he said.

“He knows that with the ball I know how to move well, but he also wants my help in the defensive phase and I feel that I am growing a lot with his instructions,” he added.

Reinier has seen pitfalls to no end in his short, yet eventful career. His success with Frosinone is well deserved, especially after one understands why his two loan stints did not go as expected.

“It was an experience that made me grow, I played with great footballers and worked a lot, but I’ll be honest: I don’t like to talk about it. Things happened with the club that only my family and I know,” he said about his failed stint at Dortmund.

On his short spell at Girona, he added: “I started well, after two games I started to start and scored a goal. Then I got injured and had to stop, I lacked continuity. A shame, but these are things that can happen.”

Today’s Real Madrid is studded with stars from the Brazilian National Team, be it Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo Goes, Eder Militao or the up-and-coming Endrick.

“I love it. I always talk with Rodrygo and with Vini, with whom I play a lot of video games. He’s very strong: I have good games, but he beats me most of the time (laughs),” he said about the team’s Brazilian core.

He even emphasised that it was his dream to represent his National Team at the highest level.

“Defending the colours of my country, where I was always very happy, is one of my two dreams. The other, as I said, is to live my debut with Madrid. I work to fulfil both.”

Reinier added that Vinicius Jr had given him a special piece of advice after his stint at Real Madrid did not go to plan.

“Vini told me that I have to be calm, do things right and that I will return to Madrid soon. They both support me a lot, we have a special relationship and I appreciate it.”

The Brazilian starlet also commented on Endrick who is set to join Real Madrid next summer and is considered one of world football’s brightest attacking talents.

“He’s a great player and he’s from my city, Brasilia. I’ve watched your games, it’s great and I’m excited for you to arrive in Madrid. I talked to him several times since the news came out and I wish him to be happy in white.”

Finally, the former Real Madrid star admitted that he had not given up on his dream of defending the white colours at some point in his career.

“I’ve been away for three years, but I still have in my mind to play at Madrid. It’s my dream. I think my chance will come if I work well and I am very focused on Frosinone.”