It's not just this year that Aston Villa has made good signings during the January transfer window. At the time, Tom Heaton went down with an injury, and Dean Smith brought the Spaniard in to compete with Orjan Nyland. He only played in a dozen matches for the club, but he made a vital impact when he was at AVFC.
Early Tuesday morning, Fabrizio Romano shared on X that Reina would be retiring. After over 25 years as a professional, he is now stepping away from the game and will take part in a match as a player for the last time with Como when they take on Inter Milan.
The longtime Liverpool and Spanish National Team player has been one of the standouts at his position. Other stops included Villarreal, Bayern Munich, and Napoli.
He arrived at Villa on loan while a member of AC Milan. After the Rossoneri, he then joined Lazio. It was while in B6, however, that he helped the Villans end the season on two draws and two victories.
EPL-saving keeping for Aston Villa
That stretch included two clean sheets while only conceding two total goals. After AVFC had ensured their stay in the Premier League, enjoying the accomplishment, supporters could see how much it meant to Reina to have played a part in the effort to keep Smith's side in England's top flight.
Now stepping away and looking to start his managerial career, the storied keeper had Villa play an important chapter in his story as a player, and he equally helped the club during his loan stay. For someone who has been at a high level for as long as he has, the retirement will be the closing of a great keeper. Villa fans will celebrate his career, especially knowing what his services meant for those 2020 months.