Pepe Reina has revealed he had 'no fears' over replacing Jerzy Dudek as Liverpool's first-choice goalkeeper on the back of the Istanbul heroics provided by the Polish international.
The Reds, of course, famously fought back from being three goals down against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final to produce arguably the greatest-ever ending to a European final.
At the heart of the team's ability to turn the game around was Dudek, who produced a number of important saves late on in the match to take the game to penalties - namely his extraordinary double save to deny Andriy Shevchenko.
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But Dudek soon lost his place in the Liverpool side as Reina arrived at Liverpool in the summer and made just 12 appearances across the following two seasons.
Asked if he felt awkward in any way stepping into the side to replace the Pole, the experienced shot-stopper told FourFourTwo: "I had no fears. I was sure of myself and I knew Rafa Benitez wanted me.
"Scott Carson, Chris Kirkland and Jerzy Dudek had all played in that season, and it wasn't clear who was first choice.
"Rafa called me a lot to say he wanted to sign me - he's an insistent man! When he wants something, he does all he can to get it. A manager believing that much in you is a signal you should sign."
While Dudek was putting his body on the line to keep the Reds in the 2005 final, Reina was sat at home and fearing the worst after seeing the half-time score.
"The deal was done in late April, so I lived the evening of the Champions League final [2005] as a Villarreal player but cheering for Liverpool!" Said the Spaniard.
"They would have been in the UEFA Cup if they'd lost, and I was hungry for Champions League football.
"At 3-0, I called my agent and said, '"F***, another year of the UEFA Cup.' But in the second half: happy days! I was sat on my own at home. I got pissed and it was worth it!"
Reina, who now plays for Lazio, would go on to earn his own experience of representing the Reds in a Champions League final after helping the side reach the showpiece fixture of the 2007 competition.
Liverpool booked their place in the Athens final after a narrow semi-final win over rivals Chelsea, which required penalties in the second leg at Anfield to determine the winner.
This was another heroic goalkeeping display, though Reina was the hero on this occasion due to denying both Arjen Robben and Geremi from 12-yards.
Reina was certainly on a high after this result, though soon saw his mood shift significantly after discovering he had been burgled while the match at Anfield was being played.
"From heaven to... I was going to get changed and head into the city centre with a few of the boys to celebrate, then I got home and discovered that," the 39-year-old told FFT about his memories of that evening.
"I spent the night with the police. I felt violated - I'm still grateful that no one was home and that they nicked only material things, but part of my privacy was blown away that night.
"I think they broke in during the period of the penalty shootout. Maybe they watched the penalties while they were there."
To read the full interview with Reina, purchase the latest copy of FourFourTwo here
