2026-02-15 14:39:34
Pepe Reina wishes he could replay Liverpool’s Champions League final game against AC Milan.
The Spanish goalkeeper was between the sticks at the 2007 game when his side lost 2-1 to the Italian club, and he admitted he “took it for granted” at the time that he’d get another shot at a winner’s medal.
He told FourFourTwo magazine: “If I could choose one match to relive, it would be the final in Athens against Milan.
“I wish I could have the opportunity to change what happened.
“In the moment, you take it for granted that you’ll reach the Champions League final every year, but that’s not the reality.
“In fact, I never played another.”
Although reaching the final of the tournament was a “wonderful experience”, Pepe admitted he didn’t enjoy it very much at the time because of the pressure on the squad to win.
He added: “You don’t enjoy the days leading up to the game because you’re feeling tense, nervous and under pressure to win – nobody remembers the runners up.
“Even so, it was a wonderful experience.
“The competition owes the Reina family one – my father, Miguel, lost the European Cup final with Atletico in 1974.”
Pepe ended his career with Como, but his final game, against Inter Milan, last season ended abruptly when he was sent off – but he has no regrets.
He said: “Everything had been planned – my parents came, and my wife and kids were there.
“The fans showed me tremendous respect from the moment I arrived, I had Cesc Fabregas as my coach and the Como dressing room left a mark on me as there was an incredible unity.
“Despite my red card for a professional foul, I really wouldn’t change anything – it had to end that way and that’s fine.”
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