But in his searingly honest autobiography, published this week, Reina also admits that three times he came close to leaving all that behind.
“I have been through three dark nights of the soul at Liverpool and on all three occasions I have questioned whether I should stay at the club that I have come to love,” he declares.
“On each occasion I could have walked away.
“I had opportunities to continue my career elsewhere, but I never took that final, decisive step that would have severed my ties with Liverpool forever. Thankfully.”
The first occasion, in 2006, came as a personal crisis of confidence.
Doubts that had festered after an unconvincing FA Cup final appearance, were magnified by an error in the Reds first home league game and reached crisis proportions in the Goodison derby match.
“Everyone – especially the Evertonians – remembers the day we lost the Merseyside derby 3-0 at Goodison Park on September 9, 2006,” he explains.
“The moment that stands out the most for me was when Andy Johnson scored Everton’s third. It all started when Lee Carsley had a shot from outside the area in the 94th minute. I parried it away, but as the ball went into the air, it headed back towards the goal. I turned to get it but in a split second opted to try and catch it, realising too late that I would carry it over the line. I tried to push it over the bar but could only direct it into the path of Johnson, who had an easy task to head it into the roof of the net.
“When things like that happen you feel like you have let everyone down, especially when it happens against your local rivals in a game that the supporters are desperate to win. But that wasn’t even the worst of it for me because that mistake wasn’t a one-off. If anything, it summed up my form as I struggled to get out of one of the most testing slumps of my career.”
It was manager Rafael Benitez who talked Reina round.
“Like every other player when things go wrong you need the help of the people around you and in this case it was the support of Rafa Benitez that made the biggest difference,” he said. “He gave me such strong backing at the time, and showed he believed in me.
“I knew that Valencia were there and their interest was in the back of my mind. Rafa changed everything and put all those fears to rest. He made me forget about the possibility of leaving Liverpool before I had even proved myself here. With the help of the boss and Jose Ochotorena, the goalkeeping coach, I came through it.
“From the middle of January to the beginning of May 2007, we conceded only 12 goals and managed 11 clean sheets – including one against Everton in the return league fixture at Anfield.
“I had been strong enough to cope with a difficult situation with their support, and I ended up having a good season.”
Read more: Liverpool Echo
This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.
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