Pepe Reina helped his team Villarreal to three points on Thursday. The seasoned Spanish goalkeeper stopped a penalty from a Stade Rennes player in the final phase, ensuring his team won 1-0 in the mutual Europa League match.
Afterwards, Reina had to fight back tears, but the goalie could not hold them back. He explained why it was so emotional for him afterward. 'I don’t have much longer to go in my career, so you have to enjoy it. Sometimes you have days when the work pays off. The best thing is when your colleagues tell you that you deserve it,' Reina told MARCA.
'There are so many days when it's not fun, then this is also nice for a change. The joy is enormous. I dedicate this moment to everyone who has joined me on this journey. My wife, friends, and children come first,' concluded the now 41-year-old goalkeeper. With this victory, the yellow-shirts are fully back in the game after the defeat to Panathinaikos in the opening match.
Reina, who has thus passed forty, has a resounding CV: Barcelona, Villarreal, Liverpool, Napoli, Bayern Munich, Napoli again, AC Milan, Aston Villa, Lazio, and now Villarreal again were his employers, and despite stiff competition, he played in 36 international matches for Spain. He was part of the squad that won the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010. So far, he has not made any public announcements about the end of his career.
