Pepe Reina reveals what he now realises about Liverpool and Anfield 12 years after leaving
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But while Alisson may have made him look poor in comparison, Reina should perhaps be remembered better than he is at Anfield.One thing that could never be levelled at the World Cup winner is that he did not love the club, and having finally retired in 2025, Reina has now claimed that he misses Liverpool more and more as time goes on. Should Liverpool be awarded that 2013/14 title? 🤔 We are probably the club who has been impacted the most… Brendan Rodgers Reina misses Liverpool more and moreReina would likely be looked back on much more favourably by Liverpool fans had the Reds won the Premier League title in 2008/09 or beaten AC Milan in the 2007 Champions League final.
As it is, he won only one FA Cup and one League Cup with Liverpool; a disappointing haul for an eight-year stay.Nevertheless, he had the love of the fans during his years keeping goal for the Reds, and having been asked about that spell in an interview with DAZN Spain this week, Reina admitted that playing for Liverpool – and at Anfield in particular – was an ‘incomparable’ experience which he still misses greatly.“It’s a football temple where football is a religion and that’s the church,” he said of the Reds’ home stadium.“In the end, feeling Anfield every two weeks is a privilege, and as time and your career go on, you value it even more because you lose it and miss it a lot. It’s a level of football and a setting to enjoy as a player that is incomparable.”READ MORE: Liverpool fans will be surprised at why Jarell Quansah is now starting ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold for EnglandReina could easily have stayed at Liverpool far beyond his exit in 2014, having ultimately continued playing at the top level for more than a decade.His replacement, Simon Mignolet, was never quite on his level, and there could even have been a possibility for Liverpool fans to see Reina as Alisson’s No.
2 for a year or two.What is Reina doing now? Reina played almost 1,000 professional games in his career, with his 394 appearances for Liverpool being easily the most for one single club.Now retired, the 44-year-old has taken an interest in coaching, and like former Reds teammates Alvaro Arbeloa and Fernando Torres before him, he has begun his managerial career within the Spanish youth system.Reina took charge of Villarreal U19s in June 2025, immediately after retiring, taking them to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Youth League.Now into his second season in charge, the former goalkeeper will perhaps be dreaming of a return to feel the atmosphere at Anfield as a coach, either in the home dugout or as the opposition.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox