At the southern end of 46 kilometers long Lake liketo its shore, the stadium arises Giuseppe Sinigagliawhere goalkeeper Pepe Reina said goodbye this Friday of football, as captain and headline, with him and against Inter, Sudden expelled in the 45th minuteat the instances of the VAR, between frustration and sadness, acclaimed by the public and cabizbajo towards the costumes, in his last meeting as a professional.
967 meetings after your debut with Barcelona Or 13 years after the most triumphant cycle of his life and the Spanish team, when he won two Eurocups and a World Cup, it is the end of Queen's career, whose last stop saved a goal (when he intervened accurate in front of Mehdi Taremi in the 38th minute). His last action was the expulsion, on the edge of the intermediate, already with 0-1 against the scoreboard.
Queen left Taremi, With the tip of his right boot he played the strikerwho remained standing and lost his balance when he was about to enter the area with the ball in property and with the goal opposed to his mercy. His fall to the grass, apparently fortuitous live, for his own matter, left the occasion at all … and followed the game. No pause.
Suddenly, the referee Davide Massa He was notified by the VAR: Queen had committed. Milder or stronger, enough to demolish the player or not, in those valuations the collegiate determined the red card On the edge of minute 45, the last moment of the Spanish goalkeeper, incredulous.
Disconform, he spoke with the referee. He explained the action. There was no solution. His companions surrounded the referee to intensify the protests. His family, desolate in the stands. He took the way to the costumes. He hugged him Taremi. Yann summerthe Inter goalkeeper crossed the entire field to convey his admiration. The benches, standing, applauded it. The public acclaimed him. Cesc consoled it. And he, head Gacha, understood the end.
Before his goodbye had been different. At the head of his team at the exit to the pitch, entire red in t -shirt, pants and socks, with the bracelet on your arm, He was photographed first about the grass with his family and raffled the field and serve the referee Davide Massa and with Stefan de Vrij, the captain of Inter. The Dutch central joked with him, smiling, expectant. Its end.
His last goal embedded was in the 20th minute. 0-1. A stubborn precisely The free, frontal, powerful, unstoppable for the goalkeeper, after a corner thrown by Hakan Calhanogluwithout intuiting the maelstrom of subsequent situations. To save 0-2 to the red card.
Of December 2, 2000, when he entered the break to replace Richard Dutruel, When he was only 18 years old, as of May 23, 2025, when he completed his professional life in football.
25 years of adventure in the world football elite, champion of everything with the Spanish team, protagonist of the brightest moment in the history of national football, such as European champion in 2008 and 2012 and from the world in 2010. The goalkeeper played 36 duels with the absolute Spanish team. The first, on August 17, 2005. The last one, on October 9, 2017. Its belonging to the most golden time will remain forever.
They are his most precious titles. There are more at the Club level: Champion of the Bundesliga of Germany with the Bayern Munich in 2014-15; of the Cup, the Cup of the League and the Community Shield of England with the Liverpool between 2006 and 2012, or the Italian Cup in 2013-14 at the service of the Naplesprecisely the club that was played this Friday the 'Scudetto' of Serie A against Inter.
Gone is its passage through all the lower categories of the Spanish team, when, minute by minute, it grew to contribute to the largest milestones of national football and make the leap to the first team in Barcelona, with which it played a total of 49 games between the years 2000 and 2002, before being transferred to the Villarreal for just 750,000 euros.
Until a total of 191 meetings he played with the yellow team, through two different stages, separated for 18 years (The first between 2002-03 and 2004-05 and the second from 2022-23 to 2023-24). After the first one was transferred to Liverpool for about 10 million euros. In the Anfield club he played 394 clashes. From 2005-06 to 2012-13.
He also played in Naples, with 182 duels, in 2013-14 and from 2015-16 to 2017-18: at Bayern Munich, with just three duels in 2014-15; in it Milanwith 13 in 2018-19; in it Aston Villawith 12 in 2019-20; in it Laziowith 54 clashes from 2020 to 2022; and in him Aswho arrived last summer from Villarreal to be part of the Cesc Fábregas project and of which he said goodbye this Friday forever from professional football.
A total of 967 games since it went from Barcelona athletic to Barcelona, 946 as a starter, with 953 goals against, with four expulsions, with more than 85,000 minutes of play and with 382 goals to zero. He won 524 of his meetings, tied 223 and lost 219, on a tour with Historical brands and challengeswith a formidable amount of matches.
Queen is the Spanish player with More games in history in the best leagues, not counting the national, With 502 meetings. David de Gea followed him, with 449; Cesc Fábregas, his coach in him, with 404; César Azpilicueta, now at Atlético de Madrid, with 396; and Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish gold boot, with 318 duels away from the country.
It is also Spanish with more matches in European UEFA competitionswith 192 and the second at a general level, only exceeded by Cristiano Ronaldo, with 197.
