Pepe Reina once admitted he had just a single ‘regret’ during his nine-year Liverpool career

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Pepe Reina is still considered one of Liverpool’s best goalkeepers to this day.

The Reds have almost always been known and praised for their attacking style of football, but their defence has been just as key to their success.

Goalkeepers in particular tend to be the most underrated, and Liverpool have had their fair share of top quality players between the sticks throughout their time.

Right now, Alisson Becker is regarded as the best they have had in the Premier League era, with Pepe Reina likely creeping in as second best.

The Spaniard was a solid option during the Rafa Benitez era and played for the Reds for nine years, although it should have probably been more if it was not for his premature exit.

This is something Reina has once referenced as well, with the now-42-year-old saying that this is the only thing he regretted.

Pepe Reina did not want to leave Liverpool

When a team is happy with their goalkeeper, they tend to stick with them for quite a long time, and in Reina’s case, that is what Liverpool did.

However, the shot-stopper had a bit of a poor 2012/13 season and made a few errors that led to a goal, although they were not really enough to send him packing.

Despite his form, he was linked with a sensational return to Barcelona that year, a move in which he was very keen to make should he depart Anfield.

READ MORE: Fernando Torres once revealed why he left Liverpool, and it is very similar to Alexander Isak’s situation

But, a deal fell through and it looked like he was staying put, although Brendan Rodgers had other ideas and agreed to loan him out to Napoli, something Reina regretted.

“It hurt at the time but that’s football. I told Brendan that if I wasn’t going to Barcelona, then I wanted to be at Liverpool,” Reina told The Athletic.

“Leaving that way is something I regret, but I’ll always be grateful to Liverpool for what they did for me. I am very proud of what I achieved there.”

Pepe Reina has only just retired

Despite leaving in 2013, Reina still had plenty left in the tank, with the goalkeeper playing for another 12 seasons.

After a loan spell at Napoli, he went to Bayern Munich where he was second-choice for a year before going back to Naples permanently.

AC Milan followed before he helped save Aston Villa from relegation in 2020, with the Spaniard playing for two more sides before retiring in 2025 at Como.

It is safe to say he has not had a bad career at all and has certainly made the most out of his time, although a little more of that could have been spent on Merseyside.