“I had other important offers in the best leagues, but Reinildo fell in love with Atlético”

If Simeone emphasized how badly Trippier’s departure had been resolved in his summary of what happened this season, he also celebrated the signing of Reinildo as a success to, in principle, strengthen the left sector of his defense. The Mozambican was a solid and forceful player, who revitalized an Atlético team that conceded more than it should have throughout the first part of the season. Reinildo was a market opportunity, Atlético moved with speed and tied a team player of considerable value. Dear in any template.

His contract ended this June with Lille, where he had emerged as one of the pillars of the French league champion, unseating PSG. A solvent side, which ensured performance and walling on its side. He had repeated success in the Super Cup, without Galtier on the bench, and then he started the Champions League in an important way. Lille got into the second phase of the Champions League, with the left-back at a high level. His contractual situation made it a unique opportunity and Atlético could do more. This is how Manuel Tomás, from Blueprivate investments, the company that represents the player, tells it in AS. Months later, Reinildo has become almost untouchable for Cholo and has even appeared in the ideal eleven of the Champions Fantasy published by UEFA. Internet users bet on him and the Atlético coach, too. They were not wrong and the Champions League has a lot to do with him landing at Atlético.

“Reinildo is very happy with the reception at the club, from the kit crew to the fans. He is a very focused person, who is enjoying doing what he likes the most,” explains Manuel Tomás to AS. Simeone highlighted the signing of Reinildo in one of his final appearances of the season and that encourages the player. “Reinildo spoke with the coach and it was the first thing he told him, he was coming to help and if Cholo said that, it is just what Reinildo set out to do. He is a player who stands out for staying one hundred percent focused and centered, that is what seen of him”, explains his agent. Manuel Tomás recounts how those days were in the January market, when Atlético rushed because Reinildo was a bargain that many wanted. “We were in negotiations with six clubs that wanted him. Atlético called, a great club about which we had made our reports. We spoke with Reinildo and presented him with the possibility of Atlético with that information and he fell in love. There were many options. He came from being champion with Lille, also winning the Super Cup against PSG. We had offers from England, France, Spain, Italy and Portugal, from the best clubs, but he fell in love with Atlético”, explains his agent.

We had to squeeze in January.

But it was not easy to get it to arrive in January. At first, a commitment was tied for the month of July, but Atlético pressed to advance his arrival. “It was like that, Atlético did an enormous job because Lille didn’t want to open up to that possibility, he was a very important player for them. Atlético did a great job because it wasn’t an easy detail, convincing Lille was admirable,” he says. the representative. The player had already committed to Atlético by the time he finished his contract, but a transfer was negotiated with Lille. The rojiblanco team was going through defensive problems and had to be reinforced. Atlético had him marked on their list of priorities. He was a winger who had stood out drying up the best players in the French League, but perhaps there is a game in the Champions League that convinced Atlético.

“In Seville it was spectacular, it’s true. Later in the Champions League he was at a high level in the matches against the Manchester teams and he was also seen against Real Madrid”, recalls Manuel Tomás before focusing on what the player has had to face when he arrived. He changed a team where he played by heart, Lille replaced his coach but kept his structure and landed at Atlético, where he has experienced one of the most surprising turns of his career. He went on to play as a third central defender, something unknown to him. “It was something new, he wasn’t used to it, but it sums up his great ability to adapt and his sense of growth. He adapted quickly, he understood that he had to help from there, in that position, with different registers and depth, but he is used to challenges. I had already experienced this. When he arrived at Lille he was not to play and he ended up starting. Here he landed the same, he was not going to play from the beginning, but over time he quickly understood where he could help and how, that is his great objective, ”dissects his agent.

Reinildo prepares for what is to come. He will face the preseason with Atlético, already with internalized automatisms and with greater knowledge of his teammates. He has gone on vacation very happy with what he has done and with how the change has gone for his family. “His family is very happy in Madrid, his children have adapted very well to school and he is happy with the structure of the club. In addition, he feels the connection with the fans. They realized that he goes out to give 130% in each party and respect”, says his agent, which refers to an anecdote that went viral. A video where Reinildo appeared after the warm-up of a match greeting an acquaintance whom he invited not to step on the Atlético shield on the pitch. “I didn’t know they recorded him, he’s like that, very respectful of the institutions, people have realized that, and he’s going to give everything to live up to one as big as Atlético”, concludes Manuel Tomás.