Former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina announces retirement

Como (Italy), May 20 (IANS) Former Spanish and Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has announced his retirement from professional football.

The 42-year-old Spaniard, currently representing Como in Serie A, will hang up his gloves following their clash with Inter Milan on Friday. He has only played 12 games for the Cesc Fabregas-managed side this season.

Reina spent almost a decade with Liverpool following his arrival from Villarreal in 2005. Signed for Liverpool by Rafael Benitez following the Champions League triumph of the previous season, he was the club’s first-choice between the posts for the next eight campaigns.

He helped the Reds lift the FA Cup at the end of his first year, making three saves in the penalty shootout win over West Ham United when the final finished 3-3.

The former Barcelona stopper was then part of the squad that reached another European Cup showpiece in 2007, though on this occasion Liverpool were beaten by AC Milan in Athens.

He was the winner of the Premier League Golden Glove award for most clean sheets in three consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2008.

Reina maintained his spot as Benitez was succeeded in the dugout by Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish – under whom he collected a League Cup winner’s medal – and Brendan Rodgers.

But after Simon Mignolet was recruited to take the goalkeeper spot by the latter, Reina spent the 2013-14 campaign on loan with Napoli.

Then, in the summer of 2014, he said farewell to Anfield permanently by switching to Bayern Munich. In total, he represented the Reds on 394 occasions. He played 191 games for Villarreal across two different stints and represented Spain 36 times after making his debut in 2005.

A World Cup and two-time European Championship winner with Spain, he went on to have further spells at Napoli, AC Milan, Aston Villa, SS Lazio, Villarreal and most recently, Como.

--IANS

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