The Aston Villa goalie Pepe Reina has revealed he endured “endless minutes of fear” after contracting coronavirus that left him unable to breathe. The Spaniard he was on the mend after “the worst moments of my life”.
Reina, on loan at Aston Villa from Napoli, told Corriere dello Sport: “It is only now that I am winning the battle against coronavirus.” He began to feel sick nearly two weeks ago.
“I was very tired after experiencing the first symptoms of the virus,” he said. “A fever, dry cough and a headache that never went away. It was just that constant feeling of tiredness.
“The most difficult moment was when I could no longer breathe, the 25 minutes I ran out of oxygen. It was the worst moments of my life.
“The only real fear I had was when I understood there was no oxygen: endless minutes of fear, as if suddenly my throat had closed. As a result I spent the first six or eight days indoors.”
He said staying at home was not a chore. “I don’t miss the company as it’s me, my wife Yolanda, five children and two in-laws. The house is big and loneliness has no access to my home.”
Last week, when he first announced he suspected he had caught coronavirus, he said: “We are very privileged people. We have a big house, with a garden. I think of the people who live in a 70 sq m apartment with two children and for me they are people who are showing a lot of strength.”
The Premier League has been called off since 13 March and Reina has previously said it was “crazy” not to have stopped games sooner.
