'I was aghast after Liverpool transfer before spending eight wonderful years at the club'

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has confessed he was "aghast" at the Merseyside weather after joining the club from Villarreal in 2005. Reina, a product of Barcelona's renowned La Masia academy, is currently enjoying his second spell with Villarreal.

The 41-year-old made over 100 appearances during his initial tenure with the Yellow Submarine and has now returned following stints in England, Germany, and Italy. His first move away from Spain proved to be quite a culture shock. At just 23, Reina was one of Rafa Benítez's earliest signings as Liverpool aimed to build on their Champions League victory.

During his eight years at Anfield, the goalkeeper missed only 19 league matches. However, he first had to adjust to the climate of his new home city.

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"I moved on to what has been perhaps the most important sporting spell of my career, at the club where I competed best, where I felt best on a personal and collective level, in terms of competitiveness, spent eight wonderful years in Liverpool," Reina shared with LALIGA WORLD ahead of Villarreal's clash with Sevilla this weekend.

"I spent two weeks looking at my wife and saying, 'What is this?'. We came from somewhere where the average temperature was 25 degrees but there, in July, it rained non-stop for two weeks. I was aghast."

Pepe Reina opened up about his early struggles after joining Liverpool, saying: "I didn't expect it and it was difficult to adapt to all that. It was difficult because I was still a kid; I was 23 years old. In the end, though, though it can be difficult to adapt, you adapt to everything when you are doing well, when you are happy, when you are comfortable, and when you are valued."

Since returning to Spain, Reina has taken on a new role compared to his time at Liverpool. Last season saw him as a regular in league fixtures, but this season under Marcelino, he's been more of a cup specialist. Despite this, he confesses to feeling "terrified" before games now.

"The sense of responsibility is much greater, the expectations are much greater, and the fears are greater," he continued. "Because people are waiting for you to slip up. You are 41 years old and people are like that: waiting for you to make a mistake to say that you are old and that you have to retire, and you have to fight against that. It is what it is."

Reina also touched on dealing with errors, noting: "Well, sometimes experience makes you know how to deal with mistakes better, but you can't get rid of the noise around you. And I hope it lasts for a long time because that will mean that I am still passionate about what I do."

Liverpool.com says: It can take some time for new signings to adapt, whether that is simply to being in a different country, the language, the food, the weather or something else entirely. Fans often forget that when a player comes in and doesn't hit the ground running, but footballers, like everyone else, are only human.