It is 2007 and PSV has a new child prodigy in its ranks: Jonathan Reis. The young Brazilian striker should be next in line Romario and Ronaldo. But that story turned out to be too good to be true. Drink, drugs, injuries and setbacks caused a career switch. At home, in Belo Horizonte, Reis now drives around as a taxi driver for Uber. That can be seen from Sunday at Omroep Brabant in the documentary Taxi Reis.
“It was a dream to become a professional player and thanks to God I made it”, 33-year-old Reis looks back on his football career. Knowing that without setbacks there would have been much, much more in it.
Ronald Koeman gave Reis a chance in the starting eleven in 2007. Later that season, Koeman is fired and replaced by Huub Stevens. However, Reis is at odds with the new trainer and is then rented out to the Brazilian Tupi FC.
drug addiction
When Reis returns in 2009, he only wants one thing and that is to be sold. Former PSV coach Fred Rutten sees it differently. He is convinced that Reis can still fulfill his talent.
Nothing turned out to be less true: PSV discovers that Reis has a drug addiction and dismisses the striker. The super talent is admitted to a rehab clinic in his home country.
The Journey chapter seems to be over. But no, after PSV went on holiday in Brazil in 2010, Reis visits his former teammates. PSV is surprised about the new Jonathan Reis and decide to bring the attacker back to the club.
Comeback in the making
Reis is all the way back and seems to be finally fulfilling his promise. During the historic 10-0 win over Feyenoord, Reis makes a hat-trick: “That is the best moment of my career for me.” Travels brilliantly after his comeback, until disaster strikes: he seriously injures his knee and must rehabilitate for a long time.
The knee injury continued to haunt Reis throughout his career. After adventures in Brazil and Japan, Reis decides to end his football career at the age of 29. “I was just in too much pain,” says the attacker.
Cab driver
“My career ended because of my injury. That’s when I decided to become an Uber taxi driver,” says Reis. His day now starts at 7 AM and ends around 11 PM. “It’s very tiring, haha ”, says the fallen super talent.
In the documentary ‘Taxi Reis’, Reis candidly looks back on his hectic career. The documentary can be seen on Omroep Brabant from Sunday 7 August. The first broadcast is at 12:00, it will be repeated several times until Monday afternoon. The documentary is also available from Sunday watch online.