Former Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has spoken about how Pepe Reina feels about him after the famous beachball goal.
Bent, who was playing for Sunderland, scored past Reina with the ball taking a huge deflection off an inflatable beachball before going into the net in October 2009.
As reported on Football Insider, Bent was full of praise for Reina after an impressive display against Tottenham Hotspur, before he touched on the famous incident.
He’s a top goalkeeper, Pepe Reina, when Aston Villa got him I thought: ‘What a bit of business that is.
Well done Dean Smith going out there and getting a goalkeeper of that ilk. His distribution is beautiful, off the deck he’s a good shot-stopper – obviously, he hates me because I blasted one past him via the beachball.
He’s been a brilliant goalkeeper, a brilliant acquisition and if Aston Villa stay up, it wouldn’t surprise me if they try to keep hold of him.
READ ASTON VILLA VERDICT
As reported on BBC Sport, the goal had a significant impact because the Reds fell to a 1-0 defeat, sending them down the table into eighth place.
Reina made his return to the English top-flight last month, joining Villa on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Despite their differences regarding the incident, it’s nice to see Bent handing the Spaniard the praise that he deserves for his recent displays.
We believe that if he can keep up the good form, then he could play a big part in helping Villa avoid relegation, especially after his 13 saves in four matches.
