Former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina is closing in on Cristiano Ronaldo‘s record of the most appearances in European competitions.
The Villarreal stopper is still going strong at 41 and played his 192nd match in UEFA competitions after his side’s 4-0 loss to Marseille in the Europa League on Thursday. While the result was not a good one for the La Liga outfit, the ex-Napoli keeper is now just five off Ronaldo’s record appearance haul.
Like Al-Nassr star Ronaldo, although to a lesser extent, Reina has had a glittering career, playing for Villarreal, Barcelona, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, and more. He picked up 36 Spain caps and has won a host of trophies along the way.
Last November, Reina expressed his willingness to keep playing the sport for as long as possible as he appeared to somewhat fear life after football.
He told The Athletic: “I won’t lie to you. I can’t say I’m not afraid, I can’t say I don’t think there will be a void that I won’t be able to fill. The truth is I don’t know. Football has been a way of life for me for so long. You need to prepare yourself and I know it’s not going to be easy.”
Reina could get one step closer to Ronaldo’s record appearance total when Villarreal play the second leg of their last 16 Europa League tie against Marseille on Thursday. The veteran has been second-choice at the Spanish side behind Filip Jorgensen but Reina has played in all of their European games this season.
