Pepe Reina’s journey from La Masia to the lake has been a long one.
Twenty-four years on from his Barcelona debut and after stops in cities such as Liverpool, Naples, Munich and Milan (among others), the veteran Spanish goalkeeper treated his new team-mates at the Sinigaglia to a rousing rendition of La Bamba.
Like all good initiation songs, it went viral, but more importantly it signalled the start of the latest chapter in the Reina story.
Como is his ninth club. He is a former international team-mate of manager Cesc Fabregas, who said at the time of his signing earlier in the summer: “We are thrilled to welcome Pepe to the club. He is a goalkeeper with great international experience and a very competitive mentality. For these reasons, I am sure that his contribution will help the team to grow and improve.”
That competitive mentality was first on show at the famous Barca academy. He joined La Masia in 1995 – four years before winning the European U17 Championship with Spain. On his full Barcelona debut in 2000, he lined up with the likes of Brazil superstar Rivaldo, Spain’s serial winner Xavi and Dutch legend Frank de Boer.
From the Nou Camp he moved to Villarreal and made more than 100 appearances before the eight-year spell at Liverpool he is most remembered for.
It was during his time on Merseyside that he added an FA Cup winner’s medal to his collection after saving three spot-kicks when the 2006 final against West Ham went to penalties.
He lifted the League Cup and UEFA Super Cup as a Red and lost to AC Milan in the 2007 Champions League final in Athens. He also claimed the Golden Glove – awarded to the keeper with the most Premier League clean sheets – three seasons in a row.
Reina made 36 appearances for his country and was part of the victorious squads at the 2010 World Cup and European Championships in 2008 and 2012, as understudy to Iker Casillas – a man he rates as one of the two all-time greatest in his position. “Him and Gianluigi Buffon have been an inspiration to many of us. I would say they are the best.”
On that remarkable run with his country he said: “The national team was something extraordinary. We won two European Championships and a World Cup consecutively, which might never happen again.”
Club success continued at Napoli with the 2014 Coppa Italia. He was a Bayern Munich player when they won the Bundesliga in 2015, before he turned out for Milan, Aston Villa and Lazio and had a second stint at Villarreal.
It was back in eastern Spain that Reina, who turned 42 at the end of August, started to wonder if it was time to hang up the gloves.
But this is a player who has been praised for his longevity. He passed the 1000-game barrier last year and, at the time of writing, had played in Como’s first four matches of the season.
After putting pen to paper on a one-year deal in July, he said: “I arrive in a beautiful project, a family that continues to grow and tries to raise the bar every year. I return to a league that I know well and that I know is very competitive, for my part I want to give my contribution to the development of this club.”
Family is important. He is married to Yolanda, has five children and describes himself as “definitely a present dad who loves his children and tries to raise them to be good people.”
Some hope to follow in his footsteps. “The two boys, one is a goalkeeper, the other a defender,” Reina said. “But it’s not important to me that they become footballers, but rather that they are good people.”
And the reason he wears No.25? “They gave it to me when I arrived at Villarreal, then my first daughter was born on the 25th, so I’ve always kept that number.”
His daily routine is simple. “I wake up, take the kids to school, arrive at training, have breakfast, session with the physios, gym, training, lunch, then pick up the kids from school and dedicate the rest of the day to the family.”
He cites his father – Miguel, a goalkeeper who represented Barcelona and Atletico Madrid – as his biggest inspiration, on and off the pitch, while he also gives special mention to some big-name bosses he has worked with.
Longer term, following Fabregas on the path to management holds some appeal for Reina, and in an interview with The Athletic last year he said: “I’ve been lucky with (Rafa) Benitez, (Maurizio) Sarri, (Pep) Guardiola and (Gennaro) Gattuso, lots of big names. You try to combine the best bits of all of them and try to avoid the worst bits.
“Even when I played with (Manchester City manager) Pep at Barcelona many years ago, you could see it would be natural for him. He was the manager on the field. Now he’s one of the best managers ever.”
Reina may be in the twilight of his playing career but he brings a wealth of experience and also bundles of character to Como.
He once signed a fan’s skin so they could get it tattooed, would love to spend a day with golfer Tiger Woods, while his chosen super power would be the ability to heal people.
In 2021, three years before that team-bonding rendition of La Bamba, he appeared on the Spanish version of the musical reality show The Masked Singer – dressed as a giant penguin and belting out Hola Mi Amor, a traditional number from his homeland.
So, if this is his swansong, expect to hear it loud and proud.
Get to know Pepe: Quick Fire Questions
Team supported as a child: Barcelona.
Most memorable game: The Champions League final against AC Milan in 2007 although it is a big regret we did not win. But the semi-final against Chelsea was extraordinary (Liverpool won on penalties). The atmosphere at Anfield was something incredible.
Favourite players: Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres – fantastic.
Best player of all time: Lionel Messi.
Diego Maradona or Pelé? Maradona.
Favourite movie: The Green Mile.
Favourite song: Hablo Contigo by Nina Pastori.
Favourite book: Operacion Lobo. It fascinated me.
Craziest experience in football: Celebrating the World Cup win in Madrid after returning from South Africa. There were more than a million people. Seeing the whole country united was incredible.
Describe yourself in three words: Stubborn, normal, family-oriented.
Craziest footballer you know: Joan Capdevila (former Spain defender).
Next global star: I hope it will be Nico Paz (young Como midfielder). He’s really strong.
Nickname: Baldy.
Favourite cities: Madrid, Cordoba, Naples.
Superstitions/rituals before a match: I have many, countless… but I can’t tell you about them.
Favourite hobby: Playing golf.
Any phobias: Bees.
Advice to any aspiring footballer: Be humble and start from scratch every day.
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