10 Best Spanish Players In Premier League History
9. Pepe Reina
A criminally underrated goalkeeper, Pepe Reina joined
Liverpool way back in 2005, as part of manager Rafa Benitez’s ‘Spanish revolution’.
His task would not be easy, as he was taking over from Jerzy Dudek, whose penalty-shootout heroics had just won the Reds the Champions League.
But Reina turned out to be a huge upgrade on the Pole, keeping 134 clean sheets in 285 Premier League appearances. And while he was unable to win the title with Liverpool, he managed to pick up three Golden Glove awards, as well as the FA Cup and League Cup.
Despite his impressive shot-stopping and ability to play out from the back, Reina was often overshadowed on the international stage by the likes of Iker Casillas, Victor Valdes and David De Gea. Nevertheless, he was still part of the incredible Spain squad that won two European Championships and the World Cup between 2008 and 2012.
After leaving Merseyside in 2013, Reina took in spells at Napoli, Bayern Munich and AC Milan, before making a shock return to the English top-flight, by joining Aston Villa on loan in January 2020.
And despite being 39-years-old, Reina still had enough quality to help the Villains avoid relegation.