Reina set to play 1,000th competitive game
- Published
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina is set to play the 1,000th competitive game of his professional career on Wednesday.
The 40-year-old will reach the impressive landmark playing for fifth-placed Villarreal in La Liga, when they take on Cadiz.
The 2010 World Cup winner, who joined the Reds in 2005, spent eight seasons at Anfield and along with his time at Aston Villa he recorded the highest clean-sheet percentage in Premier League history.
Speaking on Sport Today on BBC World Service, he said: "I feel very thankful and very lucky because I love what I do. That's the only secret, dedication, being as professional as I can.
"I still have the feelings in your tummy before the games. That lovely fear of making mistakes still, feeling that responsibility. As a romantic football player (being at Villarreal) was the end I could only dream of. Living all those years away from Spain and coming back to the club that gave me the opportunity to grow as a player (after joining from Barcelona).
"It's a dream ending for me and my family because my wife also has a big family here and we are really at home. I want to keep going as long as they want me. As long as I am OK to be helpful with the team, I'll be around. The club knows.
"Whenever they decide I'm no longer any help for the club, on the field at least, I will hang up the gloves because (it's) clearly going to be my last club."