Everton target Reinier made his senior debut for Brazilian side Flamengo last night. It all occurred sooner than expected, but it turned out to be a great night for him.
The Rio de Janeiro side have arguably the squad with most stars in Brazil, but due to several injuries, the 17-year-old had to be promoted to the first team by manager Jorge Jesus.
Flamengo had lost the first leg of Copa Libertadores’ round-of-16 to Emelec 2-0, but at the Maracanã last night, they managed to score two goals, both from Gabriel Barbosa.
Gabigol got injured in the second half, and that was when Reinier was brought on. He did well, but couldn’t help Flamengo score the third, leaving the match to a penalty shootout, which was won by the Brazilian side.
Reinier spoke about his debut after the game, saying he became emotional when seeing the stadium packed with Flamengo fans.
“I’m very happy, I cried inside. It was my dream since I was born, I thank the manager for the opportunity.” (via UOL)
He was also asked about Everton, who reportedly have an agreement to take him to England for €40m in January.
“I don’t know anything about it. This I leave to my staff and to Flamengo.”
We’ll have a full analysis of Reinier’s potential and this Everton situation on Sport Witness in the next few days.
