A former Liverpool star is on the verge of breaking a Cristiano Ronaldo record few thought would ever be topped.
Cristiano Ronaldo has won pretty much everything there is to win in club football, and he has set plenty of records along the way.
The Portuguese superstar is the top goal-scorer in the history of the Champions League, scoring 140 times during spells with Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid.
The 39-year-old, now playing in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, also holds the record for the most appearances in UEFA competitions.
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Few thought that Ronaldo's haul of 197 games would ever be topped, but it looks like that could well happen.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina made his 192nd appearance in a UEFA competition on Thursday in Villarreal's 4-0 defeat to Marseille in the Europa League.
The Spaniard could move one appearance closer to Ronaldo's milestone in the second leg of the knockout clash, but given the mountain Villarreal face in order to progress, he might have to wait until next season to break the record.
Reina may well be 41 years old and second choice goalkeeper at the Spanish club, but he has played all seven of his side's Europa League matches this season.
Reina's appearances have come across several competitions including the Champions League, Europa League and its predecessor the UEFA Cup.
He debuted in the UEFA Cup with Barcelona in 2000, before joining Villarreal in 2002 and then Liverpool in 2005 after impressing Rafa Benitez.
He won the UEFA Super Cup with the Anfield club before reaching the Champions League final in 2007.
The shot-stopper appeared in both the Champions League and Europa League for Napoli, before he spent time with Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Aston Villa and Lazio.
Reina returned to Villarreal for a second spell in 2022.
Though his contract is set to expire at the end of the season, Reina has no plans to retire just yet.
On the prospect of retirement, Reina previously told The Athletic: "I can’t say I’m not afraid, I can’t say I don’t think there will be a void that I won’t be able to fill.
"The truth is I don’t know. Football has been a way of life for me for so long. You need to prepare yourself and I know it’s not going to be easy."
Topics: Liverpool, Cristiano Ronaldo, Champions League, UEFA, Europa League, Villarreal
Alex Brotherton