The former top talent of PSV who now earns his money as a taxi driver
Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 11:45 PM
The Eredivisie has had plenty of notable players since its founding in 1956. Every player has their own story. Over the years, there have been many players in the Dutch league from whom much was expected, but who failed to deliver. Football zone delves into the history of missed opportunities. This time the story of Jonathan Reis, the former PSV striker who could not ignore drink and drugs.
By Lars Verhage
It is October 24, 2010, a date that many Feyenoord players will want to forget as quickly as possible. It is the day that the Rotterdam team loses by no less than 10-0 when visiting PSV. That is why October 24 is a date that many PSV supporters will cherish forever. However, there is also one player for whom this match is extra special, namely the Brazilian Reis. Three quarters of a year before the top match, he was summarily dismissed by PSV because of his addictions, after which he was later accepted back in favor. Now he crowns that confidence with a nice hat trick against Feyenoord. Rush hour is in full swing and expectations are high. However, the Brazilian is unable to live up to those expectations.
Youth and trip to the Netherlands
Contagem Reis was born in Brazil on June 6, 1989. His ultimate dream soon becomes clear: to become a professional football player. He took his first steps towards this in the youth of Atlético Mineiro. The striker manages to score well here, and thus earns an internship at Ajax. In the autumn of 2006, Reis, then seventeen, left for the Netherlands for the first time, to do a one-month trial with the Amsterdam team. He does this successfully, but the following month is even more successful for the Brazilian
Since Reis is already in the Netherlands, PSV also decides to give him the chance for a month. That internship period was even better than that at Ajax, and the people of Eindhoven are convinced. Trainer Ronald Koeman, among others, sees Reis as a reinforcement for the future, and so a transfer is agreed. In the summer of 2007, the attacker leaves permanently for the Netherlands, where a five-year contract is ready.
His start at PSV is promising. In May 2007, Reis plays the famous Terborg tournament together with the A1, which the Eindhoven team manages to win. They do this partly thanks to their striker, who is in very good shape. The Brazilian scores twice in the final, and his performances in subsequent youth tournaments are also very good. Reis was also named best attacker of the Otten Cup in 2007. This earned him a place in the PSV first-team selection for the 2007/08 season.
Tumultuous time
Once he joined PSV 1, the Brazilian pupil soon clashed with Sef Vergoossen, the trainer at the time. Reis believes he should get more playing time as he is very confident in his own abilities. Moreover, the club has decided not to loan the attacker but to give him a chance. However, this will not be a success. The right leg spends more minutes on the bench than on the field. Later in the season, Reis’s crazy traits make the news for the first time. The striker breaks his foot and is put in a cast, which means he will miss the rest of the season. This is something that is not right in his brain, and he decides to remove the cast himself early. PSV’s medical staff is ‘not amused’ and decides not to treat him further.
A few weeks later, Reis broke the same foot, meaning he missed out on preparing for the 2008/09 season. Moreover, he returns too late from holiday, and that is something that doesn’t sit well with trainer Huub Stevens. Stevens believes that his striker’s attitude is not professional enough and decides to loan him to a team in his home country. This club is Tupi FC, which plays in the fourth level of Brazil. Even though his statistics there were not good (1 goal from 22 games), Reis returns to Eindhoven with a lot of self-confidence and with the mission to still succeed there.
Breakthrough and addiction
The 2009/10 season starts very promisingly for Reis, who is still only twenty. Despite being sold, he decides to take his chance and that is exactly what he does. He manages to become a match winner a few times and stands out because of his way of playing. Head coach Fred Rutten knows enough and permanently transfers the Brazilian to the first team. Two months later, however, disaster strikes for Reis. He is summarily fired by his club. Even though PSV knew that its striker was addicted to narcotics, it was a reason for dismissal for the Eindhoven team. The attacker did not allow any help, and was now also without a club. He returns to his home country to overcome his addiction.
A few months later, Reis is accepted again by his PSV. What follows is the most successful period of his career, including a hat-trick in the 10-0 win against Feyenoord. Everything runs as planned, until the next setback occurs. In the match against Roda JC, Reis sustained a serious knee injury, causing him to miss the rest of the season. From excess to disaster, his contract is also not extended, making him clubless again.
End
Years later, Reis told Omroep Brabant that the knee injury was the turning point in his career. A subsequent employment contract with Vitesse does not bring the hoped-for success for the Brazilian, who simply can never reach his old level again due to the pain in his knee. The pain is so bad that the former top talent even decides to quit football completely at the age of only 29. In order to now rake in a salary, Reis has made a huge switch. Instead of scoring goals, he now transports people. He has become a taxi driver, something no one would have expected fifteen years ago. Unfortunately, no one will know what the striker could have achieved if the setbacks had not occurred.
2024-02-29 22:45:00
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