Pepe Reina Biography

Jose Manuel "Pepe" Reina Paez, widely known as Pepe Reina, is regarded as the second-choice Spanish goalkeeper behind Iker Casillas and David de Gea. The son of Miguel Reina, a retired Spanish goalkeeper, plays as a goalkeeper for

. The 38 years old goalkeeper started his career at La Masia, and in the 2000–01 season, the tall goalkeeper made his debut in La Liga.

He went on to play for

for three seasons, during which he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup twice. Then Reina joined Liverpool, and for eight consecutive seasons, he became Liverpool's first-choice keeper. In the 2013-14 season, Reina again joined Rafael Benitez and spent the season on loan at Napoli.

The Spanish goalkeeper then moved to Bayern Munich, but he was the second-choice keeper behind Manuel Neuer. Pepe Reina went on to play for Napoli, Milan, and Aston Villa. Now the technical goalkeeper kicks the ball for Italian club Lazio.

In 1999 Pepe Reina was called up to Spain's youth team and won the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. In 2005 the goalkeeper made his debut for Spain senior side, but Reina hasn't always been given the credit he deserves.

The leadership goalkeeper has never won the Champions League title but played in the final with Liverpool. From 2006 to 2008, Reina won Barclays Premier League Golden Glove award. Stay tuned to read more about one of the greatest goalkeepers in Spain's history.

Everything you Need to Know about Pepe Reina

Let’s take a close look at Pepe Reina biography, which includes his career and personal life. In the following article, we will present you with all the detailed information about Pepe Reina, one of the best footballers in Spain's history.

Pepe Reina Information

Sportmob's article on

Pepe Reina biography

will start with some general information about Pepe Reina's physical stats and football information.

Pepe Reina Bio

• Full Name:

  Jose Manuel "Pepe" Reina Paez

• Nickname:

  Pepe Reina

• Profession:

  Professional Football Player

Pepe Reina Physical Stats

• Height:

  188

• Eye Color:

  Black

• Hair Color:

  Black

Weight:

92

Pepe Reina Football Information

• Positon:

  Goalkeeper

• Jersey Number:

  25

• Professional Debut:

  2 December 2000

Pepe Reina Date of Birth and Personal Info

• Date of Birth:

  31 August 1982

• Birth Place:

  Madrid, Spain

• Zodiac Sign:

  Virgo

• Nationality:

  Spanish

Pepe Reina Early Life

In this part of our article on Pepe Reina biography, we will review some facts about

Pepe Reina childhood

and family facts, from his early days to the time he became famous. Football fans know about the Spanish goalkeeper skills, but few consider his bio, which is quite interesting.

Pepe Reina date of birth

is 31 August 1982, in Madrid, Spain.

Pepe Reina nationality

is Spanish. Pepe Reina comes from a family of footballers, as Miguel Reina, his father, is a retired Spanish goalkeeper who played for

and Atletico Madrid. Always football fans are interested in footballers' personal lives, but there are not many facts about the goalkeeper's childhood. But it is not difficult to figure out that, since his father was a goalkeeper, Reina's career life was influenced by Miguel Reina.

Pepe Reina Profile

In this section of Sportmob's article of Pepe Reina bio, we will present you with Reina's profile, includes his style of play, goal celebration, and reception.

In 1995 the Spanish goalkeeper started his career at La Masia, the youth academy of Barcelona. In the Barcelona reserve team, he was the first-choice goalkeeper, and when Reina was called up for Barcelona's senior side. On 2 December 2000, the Spanish goalkeeper made his debut against Celta de Vigo.

He came as a substitute for Dutruel. In the remainder of the 2000–01 La Liga season, he played 19 times for the Catalans. During the following season, he made 16 appearances for Barcelona. With the arrival of Robert Enke, German goalkeeper, he left Barca and joined Villarreal.

The technical goalkeeper spent three seasons with the club, winning UEFA Intertoto Cup twice. Pepe Reina helped the club to the UEFA Champions League for the first time.

In July 2005, the goalkeeper moved to

and played under Rafael Benitez, who believes he is the best goalkeeper in Spain. He made his debut in the first qualifying round for the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League against The New Saints. In the 2005-06 season, he became Liverpool's first-choice goalkeeper, replacing Jerzy Dudek, 2005 UEFA Champions League Final hero.

On 17 August 2005, the goalkeeper played for the first time for his country against Uruguay. In that season, Liverpool improved and won the FA Cup and also was one of Reina's best seasons, as he kept six consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League and surpassed David James' record. Between October and December 2005, the Spanish goalkeeper kept 11 clean sheets and broke the Reds clean sheet record.

During the 2006–07 season, Reina repeated his excellent form, keeping 19 clean sheets and appearing in a European Cup final. At the end of the season, the Spanish goalkeeper signed a new five-year contract with the Reds.

He also won the Premier League's Golden Glove Award for two seasons in a row. The following season he again had extraordinary performances and played all 38 Premier League matches for Liverpool, winning his third consecutive Golden Glove award.

During the 2008–09 season, he played every minute for Liverpool in the Premier League and kept 20 clean sheets; in that season, the technical goalkeeper kept his 100th clean sheet for Liverpool in a Premier League. Due to his extraordinary performances, the Spanish goalkeeper signed a new six-year contract with the Reds in 2010. Pepe Reina spent eight seasons at Liverpool and won one FA Cup, one Football League Cup, 2006 FA Community Shield, and 2005 UEFA Super Cup during his spell with Liverpool.

At the end of the 2012–13 season, Victor Valdes decided to leave Barcelona for

, so Pepe Reina was about to his replacement. But Valdes chose to stay at Barcelona, and Liverpool had signed Belgian international goalkeeper Simon Mignolet in anticipation of Reina's departure.

So, on 29 July 2013, Reina moved to Napoli on a season-long loan, and he revealed that he was disappointed by Liverpool's decision to transfer him to Napoli before informing him.

"A few months ago, Pepe was in talks with Barcelona. They had an agreement, and he was all set to go. But in the end, Victor Valdes did not leave. That's why the transfer fell through,"

said Miguel Reina, the goalkeepers' father. Reina spent a sole season on the Italian side, winning one Coppa Italia title.

On 8 August 2014, Pepe Reina moved to

on a three-year contract and made his debut against Werder Bremen. He is the first Spanish goalkeeper that plays in four of Europe's top leagues (Spain, Italy, England, and Germany). In his only season in the Bavarians won the 2014-15 Bundesliga title.

The Spaniard went on to play for Napoli and Milan. He signed a three-year contract with

; on 20 September, he made his debut for the Rossoneri in the Europa League. On 2 April 2019, Reina made his debut in Serie A, replacing Donnarumma against Udinese.

The Spanish goalkeeper played 13 times for Milan and conceded 16 goals during two seasons. Then Reina moved to Aston Villa on loan in the 2019–20 season and currently kicks the ball at Lazio.

On the international level, he has been the second-choice keeper after Iker Casillas. Reina was part of Spain's national side in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships. On 17 August 2005, in a friendly match against Uruguay, Reina made his debut and kept a clean sheet. He also represented his country at the 2013 Confederations Cup. The 38 years old goalkeeper has played 38 times for his country.

Style of Play

Pepe Reina, one of the best Spanish goalkeepers, is known for his positioning, leadership, and shot-stopping. Due to his anticipation and speed, he has performed as a sweeper-keeper during his career life.

He is also able to create a chance from the back and also starts to play well. Reina's distribution, technique, ball skills, and ability to save penalties are praised by the fellow goalkeepers. In his first three seasons at Liverpool, the Spanish goalkeeper won the Premier League Golden Glove award.

Reception

Although Pepe Reina is one of the best goalkeepers in Spanish history, many football fans believe he hasn't always been given the credit he deserves.

The Spanish goalkeeper was praised by Gianluigi Buffon in 2016 when Reina played for Napoli.

"Reina boasts outstanding technical skills, and his team owe a lot to his quality for their current league position. He also has a fantastic charisma that makes him a perfect fit for a dressing room such as that of Napoli,"

said Buffon.

Pepe Reina Outside Football

Time to take a look at Pepe Reina's life outside of football includes his hobbies and favorite activities. Reina's main hobby is playing football. One of the fascinating facts about Reina's personality is that the goalkeeper is known for his jester-like character off the pitch. He is always telling jokes and entertaining his teammates.

Pepe Reina Personal Life

In this part of Sportmob's article on Pepe Reina Biography, we will bring you fascinating information about his love life, dating history, and children. Stay tuned to read more on

Pepe Reina life story

.

Family, Children, and Relationships

Reina had a relationship with Yolanda Ruiz for a long time, and this relationship ended in marriage. On 19 May 2006, two lovebirds get married in Cordoba in the presence of his close friends and family; after they married, he joined the Spain national squad for the 2006 World Cup. The Spanish goalkeeper was Fernando Torres's neighbor. Also, during his time at Liverpool, he was the neighbor of Luis Suarez.

Pepe and Yolanda have five children. Their first child, Grecia Reina Ruiz, was born in 2007, and a year later, they welcomed their second daughter, Alma Reina Ruiz. The couple has three daughters (Grecia Reina Ruiz, Seira Reina Ruiz, and Alma Reina Ruiz) and two sons (Luca Reina Ruiz and Thiago Reina Ruiz). As we mentioned earlier, there are not many facts about the Spanish goalkeeper's personal life.

Philanthropy

Football fans tend to know if Pepe Reina has had any background in humanitarian work, but there are no records about Pepe Reina being involved in a charity event. In the case of

Pepe Reina religion

, you might know that he is Christian.

Legal Issues

About two years ago, the Spanish goalkeeper, with Paolo Cannavaro, and Salvatore Aronica, were accused of trying to get members of the Lo Russo family, famous be members of the mafia, free tickets to Napoli home games, but his lawyer dropped the case against the Spanish goalkeeper.

Pepe Reina Career Statistics

Now is the time to review Pepe Reina's career on the club and international level.

Club 

The Spanish goalkeeper has played 830 times for nine clubs (Barcelona, Villarreal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Milan, Aston Villa, and Lazio). The technical goalkeeper has conceded 806 goals and kept 332 clean sheets.

International

On the international level, Reina has played 38 times for his country. He also played for Spain U21, U18, U17, and U16.

Pepe Reina Honors

The last part of our article on

Pepe Reina bio

is about his honors and achievements. He won one FA Cup, one Football League Cup, 2006 FA Community Shield, and 2005 UEFA Super Cup during his spell with Liverpool. The Spanish goalkeeper also won one Coppa Italia title with Napoli and one Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich. 

On the international level, Pepe Reina achieved the 1999 UEFA European Under-17 Championship with Spain U16. The 38 years old goalkeeper has won the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2008, and 2012 UEFA European Championship with his country. 

His notable individual achievements are Premier League Golden Glove (three times), Liverpool Player of the Season (2009-10), and the 2011 Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit.

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